Summer of Joy
by Persephone1
Summary: Before they were terrorist and traitor, Zero and Lancelot, the Demon Emperor and his Knight...they were children.
1. September

**Author's Note:** I decided to start a side project dedicated to my new anime love Code Geass. Basically it consists of a bunch of one shot drabbles about Lelouch and Suzaku's childhood. However, even though the title is "Summer of Joy", Lelouch and Nunnally actually spent about a year in Japan with Suzaku, so I won't be limited to just a summer timeframe. Each "chapter" will be labeled by a month spent at Kururugi Shrine. I may make more than one chapter out of a month depending on events. For example; in December we have Christmas, New Year's and Lelouch's birthday. So many possibilities.

**Warnings: **I'm a fan of SuzaLulu, so in some cases I probably will add things that could be interpreted to be romantic. If there is any such content, I will warn you beforehand. There's nothing in the first chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass

* * *

**September: 2009**

Suzaku had discovered at a very young age that if you wanted to learn something, it was best to listen to the maids. They were such a common sight around the shrine; people tended to regard them as something like a piece of furniture. Merely part of the room, devoid of curiosity or ears to listen. As such, nothing went on in the house without the help's knowledge.

It was through this method that Suzaku learned of the Britannian children's eminent arrival long before anyone bothered to tell him.

"…they're really coming here?"

"Yes, a prince and a princess. Apparently the emperor is sending them to Japan in order to study abroad."

"That's ridiculous! Why would royalty come here at a time like this? I bet they're really coming to spy on us!"

"Don't be silly. They're only children. The boy isn't much older than Suzaku-sama."

"I wouldn't put it past Britannia."

The woman's paranoia would normally seem extreme, but these days it was commonplace. The Japanese people had watched as Britannia had swallowed lands, cultures, and resources, reducing once proud nations to mere numbers in the process. Everyone knew that with the plentiful sakuradite mines, their homeland was going to be next. It was only a matter of time.

As a result, Britannia was on the tip of everyone's tongues. No action on the nation's part went undiscussed in various tones of anger, panic and despair. Rage and fear spread throughout the land of the rising sun like a cancer, infecting adults and children alike. Suzaku was no different. How could he be when all he ever heard from his father, his instructors, his very classmates, was that the Britannians were going to eat his home alive? Suzaku loved Japan dearly, and the last thing he wanted was to see it fall to ruin.

So when he heard that the Britannian prince and princess were coming to Japan, to his very _house_, Suzaku couldn't help but fear that the invasion was already starting. Especially when he found out where they were staying.

It was funny. Everyone had been so in tune with the royal children's arrival, Suzaku had known everything from the date they were coming, to what method of transportation they would be taking, to how many bodyguards would be escorting them. However, somehow the place they were actually occupying on the shrine had escaped him.

In fact, it wasn't until the very day they were supposed to show up (christened as Dooms Day), that he finally found out.

Suzaku had been fresh out of kendo practice and was working on some of the techniques Tohdoh-sensei had taught him when he heard their approach.

"Lelouch, are we there yet?" a small, female voice asked. She was speaking in Britannian, but Suzaku had become fluent in the language (among others) at a very young age.

The boy answered hesitantly, "Uh…yeah."

"So tell me about our new home," the girl said, "What does it look like?"

_New home? _Suzaku had known that logically, the royals were going to have to sleep _somewhere_. It wasn't as if he had thought they were going to live in the woods. But he had assumed that they would be occupying one of the many guest rooms in the house. He hadn't thought that they would end up _here_, in his special place.

He had discovered it a couple years ago. He had just wanted a place to hide from his home tutors for a little while, so he had been wandering around the grounds of the estate. There the storehouse had stood at the edge of the property in all its ramshackle glory. It had become his place of refuge, somewhere he could disappear to for hours at a time. There, Suzaku wasn't the prime minister's son or a member of the illustrious Kururugi family. No one was around to place expectations on him or to be disappointed when he couldn't meet them. It was perhaps the one place he could be free of pressure and responsibility. The one little piece of earth in this world that was completely _his. _But now Britannia was taking that from him, just like it wanted to take away everything else.

From their position at the doorway, it would have been impossible to see Suzaku upstairs, so the Britannian boy was oblivious to his presence and growing rage as he began to map out the storehouse to the little girl. "It's really nice! The walls are as white as snow and…there's a picture window with flowers all around it!"

Was the boy insane? The storehouse looked nothing like that! Was he mocking Suzaku's sanctuary for being so small and dirty? It was probably nothing like the fancy palace that he was used to. He had no right to come to another person's country and complain!

And the girl was no better. She was playing along. "It sounds like Euphy's room. Is it like that?"

"Yeah!" the boy assured her. "It's a little small but it'll be okay for the two of us."

Suzaku scowled deeply. This was where he practiced martial arts and ate the snacks he stole from the kitchen. Where he hid from the housekeeper and stored the treasures he would sometimes find on the grounds. It was the only place where no one ever looked for him. Why did they have to stay _here_? Why couldn't they just leave Japan alone?

The boy took another step inside, and then narrowed his eyes, perhaps catching the shape of Suzaku's form up above. "Who's there?" he demanded, causing his sister to gasp in surprise.

Suzaku froze, for a moment uncertain on what to do. One of the reasons he had come here in the first place was to avoid them, after all.

"Hey!" the boy called angrily, "You show yourself to me right now!"

Typical Britannian, Suzaku thought britterly. Always telling others what to do. Regardless, Suzaku was not a coward who hid in the dark, so he did as the boy said and descended down the rickety steps.

"Don't talk like you're all big!" Suzaku retorted hotly in perfect Britannian. "This was my place a long time before you ever came here!"

The boy frowned, "You're place?" he asked, sounding confused.

"That's right. You Britannians have a lot of nerve! You think you can just come here and take over Japan?" Because this was about far more than the storehouse. It was about everything. Britannia was trying to take everything that was precious to him. But Suzaku wasn't going to allow that. He would fight for what belonged to him, to what belonged to all Japanese.

The boy however, seemed undaunted by Suzaku's accusation. "Japan takes over countries too," he replied coolly, "You just do it secretly with money and financial control!"

"Well...I…" Suzaku floundered. To be honest, he knew very little about politics and wasn't sure what to say to that. Who was this boy? He couldn't be much older than Suzaku, but he talked like an adult.

"There's not much difference between Japan and Britannia at all." the boy informed him, adding salt to the wound.

"That's a lie!" Suzaku yelled. It had to be a lie. Japan was nothing like Britannia. It couldn't be. _It couldn't be!_

"Oh yeah?" the boy retorted, "Try asking your father about it."

"You lie about _everything_!" Suzaku yelled, mostly because he couldn't come up with a proper defense when he barely talked to his father at all, "The walls as white as snow? There's no picture window in this storehouse!"

The boy's eyes widened and Suzaku felt momentary satisfaction that he had finally broken through his cool demeanor.

However, he hadn't expected the boy's surprisingly violent reaction.

"Stop it!" the prince yelled, charging (rather stupidly) towards the other boy.

But Suzaku had been training in martial arts since he was four years old. Fighting was nothing new to him. He got into brawls with his classmates almost daily. The boy never had a chance. Suzaku's fist made contact with his chin, and he crumbled like a leaf.

"Hah! How do you like that, stupid Brit!" he taunted as he continued to punch and kick. "Don't _ever_ insult us Japanese!"

"Quit it, you barbarian!" the boy said between pained gasps.

But Suzaku couldn't stop. It was like he was possessed. In his mind, the boy on the ground had ceased to exist, and in his place was Britannia itself.

"Please stop it!" the girl's sweet voice was like a knife cutting through Suzaku's consciousness. "I don't know who you are but I'll do anything! Stop hurting him!"

Suzaku looked towards her, truly seeing the girl for the first time. She was sitting in a wheelchair, tears falling out of closed eyes. Why would her eyes be closed? And really, why would her brother lie about something as simple as an appearance of a room? Unless…

"You…wait a minute. Are you…blind?"

"Yes, so you don't have to worry about me. Not at all! I can't do anything. I can't fight. I can't run away, so please." she pleaded, crying even harder now.

"You mean…" Suzaku glanced down at the Britannian boy's broken form. He had felt so good a second ago. He had felt like he was standing up for Japan. But in reality, he was merely beating a defenseless boy in front of his blind little sister. He wasn't being strong, or protecting his home. He was nothing more than a bully.

"I'm sorry!" Suzaku cried before running as fast as his legs could carry him. Because he couldn't deal with the sight of the boy's newly battered body and the little girl's unseeing, tear struck eyes. He couldn't deal with the horror he felt with his own actions and the self disgust coiling around his insides. And as he ran, a single thought came to him unbidden.

_Maybe that boy was right. Maybe Japan really isn't much different than Britannia after all._

* * *

**Author's Note: **I got most of my dialogue from the first picture episode in Code Geass. I feel bad for stealing so much of it, but since it was in Lelouch's point of view, I wanted to try to show what Suzaku was feeling at that time. The next drabble will be completely original, I swear.

Please review!


	2. October

**Author's Note: **I'm posting this chapter in honor of my birthday today! I hope everyone likes it!

**Warnings:** Tiny amount of SuzaLulu if you turn your head sideways and squint. I'm also using a lot of sound drama references, so if you're not familiar with them you might want to check those out before you read. The stuff written in italics with quotation marks are direct quotes from Stage 0.522.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Code Geass.

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**October**

Lelouch had always known on some level that he was spoiled. He had lived in a palace after all, surrounded by countless servants, fine clothing and good food. Basically, he had gotten whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. He had been well aware that there were people in the world who were homeless and starving; even cared enough to feel sorry for them. For a moment. But then Nunnally would drag him off to play in the gardens or he would go plan his latest prank on the tutors, the less privileged and their misfortunes, if not forgotten, pushed aside in favor of his own life.

The first week at the Kururugi Shrine really put things into perspective. It was a complete culture shock to go from a royal castle to a little storehouse that provided almost nothing in facilities. Inside, there were only two small beds pushed into a corner of the room, and a tiny portable oven. They also had an old water pump in the backyard, and what could at best be called an outhouse. And these were _blessings_, Lelouch reminded himself firmly. The storehouse gave them everything they really needed. The rest was merely excess.

But sometimes, when his arms were straining to pump water for a cold bath or when he was trying to lift Nunnally onto the (outdoor) toilet, he couldn't help but longingly think of his room back home. His large, king-sized bed with silky freshly laundered sheets, and his oak shelves filled with beloved books. At this point, he would have been perfectly happy with simple electricity, running water, and a roof that didn't leak.

But then he would shake his head furiously and tell himself that this was far better than anything Britannia offered. Here, they couldn't be used by a father who didn't care whether or not they were dead or alive. Here, he and his sister were free from the emperor, the royal court, and conniving siblings. Britannia wasn't home anymore. Any sentimental feelings he had felt for the place had died with his mother. Lelouch didn't need luxury. He didn't need anyone's help. He would take care of Nunnally all by himself.

He just hadn't prepared himself for how _hard_ it would be. There was so much to do. The laundry had to be washed and hung out to dry, he had to buy groceries from the one store in the nearby village that would sell to him (often getting beaten up for his trouble), he had to learn how to cook…but most of all, he had to find away to get rid of the clutter.

It was originally a storehouse after all, and the Kururugi's apparently hadn't thought to clean it out before Lelouch and his sister had moved in. As such, broken and discarded artifacts were everywhere, slowly gathering dust. Some gardening tools here, furniture there, and rows upon rows of shelves full of old, dusty boxes. This posed a problem for a blind, wheelchair bound little girl. Nunnally could barely move in the small space and was constantly bumping into things. Lelouch was worried that one of these days she was going to seriously hurt herself. If he couldn't get rid of all the junk, then the least he could do was move it so it didn't get in her way.

However, as luck would have it, the one thing he really needed to accomplish was the one thing he couldn't do. Lelouch could rearrange little things: boxes of linen, silverware and the like, but there wasn't much he could do about the larger objects, such as the old dining room table, or the crystal chandelier that looked like it had dropped from the ceiling fifteen years ago. Lelouch simply didn't possess the strength that such a task required. He could push and pull and kick all he wanted, but that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Unless of course a certain someone offered a helping hand.

Lelouch hadn't seen Suzaku since he had found him with Nunnally in the hole. He was apparently staying clear of the Britannian siblings. Even when Lelouch had gone up to the main house to dissuade the prime minister from marrying his sister, the boy had made himself scarce. Lelouch hadn't found this surprising. Suzaku had done his good deed after all. Now he could return to his people, every so often looking back on that moment with a clear conscience in the fact that he had helped a pair of Britannians that one time. It was the kind of behavior Lelouch had expected.

However, when the Japanese boy showed up at his door a little less than a month later with a mop and a bucket full of cleaning supplies; the prince began to suspect that Suzaku might have been one of the few creatures outside of his expectations.

"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked incredulously.

Suzaku shrugged slightly and looked down at his feet, "Well, I was thinking…It's just, this place _is _kind of dirty. I mean, I know _I_ wouldn't want to live here, so I just thought that maybe I could, you know…help you. Clean it, I mean."

Lelouch frowned, "I don't need your help," he replied flatly, turning to go back inside.

Suzaku reached out and grabbed at his sleeve, "Please Lelouch! I know I messed things up with Nunnally before. But I thought that maybe if I helped you, we could make this place look a little more like the home you were describing for her. You know, before I ruined it."

Lelouch glanced at the other boy. He didn't _hate_ Suzaku exactly (he couldn't hate anyone who made Nunnally smile like that), but he was still wary of him (just like he was wary of everyone).

But there was something about the pleading, earnest look in those emerald eyes. The way they seemed to say, _Please, let me make this right,_ that caused Lelouch to give him a second glance. Of course, it was also possible that there was nothing to read in Suzaku's eyes at all and what was really giving him pause was the offering of cleaning supplies. The dust _had _been getting on his nerves after all.

Either way, the former prince found himself breathing out a sigh and mumbling, "Okay."

Suzaku beamed, "Okay!"

Even Lelouch had to admit that it was nice to have a partner. Between him and Suzaku, the work was divided into jobs. Suzaku took the bottom floor, Lelouch took the top, and they would meet on the stairs. They even gave Nunnally a rag and a can of duster spray when she declared she wanted to help. She could at least clean some of the shelves, though someone had to wheel her to another area every so often.

It was after one such occasion that prompted Suzaku to ask a question.

"Hey Lelouch?"

"Yeah?" Lelouch answered, briefly pausing in his rather vigorous mopping.

"It's kind of hard for Nunnally to move around with all this stuff in here, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," the prince replied, as if that dilemma _hadn't_ been the bane of his existence for the better part of a month, "What's your point?"

"Well have you ever thought of, you know, moving some of it?"

Lelouch's eyes widened, "You're a genius! Moving it! I can't believe I never thought of that!"

"_Really_?" Suzaku asked, incredulously.

"No," Lelouch said flatly, rolling his eyes, "_Of course_ I've thought of that. I've tried hundreds of times, but nothing will budge. It's all too heavy to move on my own."

Suzaku smiled, "Not on your own, no, but I bet we could if we worked together."

"Suzaku, we're only nine!" Lelouch pointed out, truly astonished with the boy's stupidity.

"I'm sure we could do it!" Suzaku insisted.

Lelouch still thought the Japanese boy was an idiot, but the end result would have been worth the effort, so he agreed to give it a shot.

It wasn't easy. It took almost two hours of much sweating and grunting to move everything. They couldn't relocate most of the stuff very far, but it was _something_. As it turned out, Suzaku was almost freakishly strong for his age. Lelouch wasn't, but he did figure out the best places to put everything with the least amount of effort, and his added muscle did help a little. By the time they were finished, there was a small space for Nunnally to move freely. Unfortunately, by then the girl had gone off to take a nap, so there was no way of testing that out.

"I'll see if I can get someone to transfer some of this stuff somewhere else, but I think that should do for now," Suzaku decided, "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner, but I was grounded so I wasn't allowed to go outside."

Lelouch stared at him, "Why?"

"Well, after the whole thing with Nunnally, I didn't come home until really late. I didn't really tell anyone where I was going either, so-"

"That's not what I meant! Why do you care what happens to us? Not just now, but before with Nunnally too! We're Britannians, Suzaku! We're your enemies!" Lelouch had been so sure he had Suzaku all figured out. The boy was nothing more than another brute, drowning in hypocrisy and gazing at his beloved country with rose-tinted glasses.

But then he had seen him in that hole, singing that silly little song while his sister laughed for the first time in months. And Lelouch had to wonder why. He had understood Suzaku's prejudice, even somewhat agreed with it. But what Lelouch couldn't understand was how he could help people he had been taught to hate or how he could cry for someone he didn't even know.

Suzaku stared at the purple eyed prince for a moment, and then he smiled, "That's what I thought too, at first. But then I realized that Nunnally was missing. All I knew was that there was a little girl out there that was probably alone and scared, and for the first time I found myself wondering what Britannia and Japan had to do with anything at all."

There was rarely ever a moment that Lelouch was at a loss for words, but this was one of them. _"I don't need a reason to save who I want to save, or do what I want to do! I'll go look for her because I want to!"_ Could it really be as simple as that? In Lelouch's world of schemes and hidden agendas, such honest reasoning was unfathomable.

But then, so was Suzaku.

The green eyed boy slowly reached out his hand, his bright smile never faltering, "You're a person Lelouch, not a country. We are not Britannia and Japan, we are Lelouch and Suzaku. If we're going to hate each other, it should be because we are who we are, not because our countries told us that we're supposed to. But I don't want to hate you. There's too much of that already. I'd much rather become your friend."

A friend? Lelouch had never had friends. He hardly ever saw his other brothers and sisters, and he had never interacted much with the other court children because of the scandal surrounding his mother's breeding. He had Nunnally of course, but that wasn't the same thing and he knew it.

Slowly, the exiled prince reached out and grasped the offered hand. It was warm and rough, and the lightly bronzed skin stood in contrast to Lelouch's own pale hand.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "I think I'd like that."

"_You're amazing,"_ Suzaku had said that day, tears falling down his cheeks.

Lelouch wasn't as open as Suzaku. He couldn't just put his heart on his sleeve and say exactly what was on his mind like the other boy seemed to do so effortlessly. But right then, in that moment, he couldn't help but think that Suzaku was pretty amazing too.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I used a little bit of the dialogue from the dramas, but at least it isn't the only dialogue like last chapter.

Please review? It'd be like a birthday present to me (and it's free!)


	3. October Part II

**Author's Note: **I actually got this idea for October at the last minute, but due to school I couldn't get it up in time. This drabble still takes place in October though for reasons I don't feel like explaining.

**Warnings: **Nothing. This chapter is completely innocent.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass. If I did, Suzaku and Lelouch would have gotten married in the end and lived out their lives at the Kururugi Shrine. Aren't you glad I don't own it?

* * *

**October Part II**

Despite what his father and teachers may have thought, and what his classmates often said outright, Suzaku was not stupid. He was a fast learner and could be astonishingly bright when he applied himself. The problem was that he usually didn't.

School didn't interest Suzaku. There was nothing he hated more than sitting in a classroom while listening to a teacher drone on and on. His talent lay in running and leaping and pushing his body to the very limit. No child could match him in a fight, and he was better at kendo than most adults. Tohdoh had referred to him as a genius on more than one occasion in that regard.

Suzaku simply wasn't very good at seeing the big picture. He preferred to deal with what was in front of him. He didn't have the patience to plan things out or think ahead. Because of this, Lelouch's attempt to teach him chess was pretty much a lost cause.

"I win again," the former prince declared flatly. There had been a lot more enthusiasm in his voice at the beginning of the afternoon, but winning tends to lose its thrill after four times in a row.

Suzaku scowled, "This game is stupid," he said sourly.

"You only say that because you keep losing," Lelouch retorted.

"I can't help it! This game doesn't make any sense!" Suzaku protested. They had been playing for an hour. Originally, Nunnally had watched, but eventually she had gotten bored, which was understandable considering that she couldn't see what was happening, and the only sounds that ensued were the boys' arguing.

Lelouch sighed in frustration, "What could you find so confusing? I've explained the rules a hundred times!"

"I captured way more pieces than you did. It looked like I was winning, but all you had to do was take a single piece and the game is yours. I don't understand that," Suzaku explained, pointing at the board in emphasis.

Lelouch rolled his eyes, "Yes, you may have more pieces than I do, but you're not protecting your king well enough. The king is the most important part of chess; if your opponent captures it they win."

Suzaku stared at him incredulously, "You're telling me that all these other pieces don't matter as long as the king is in play?"

"_Yes_," Lelouch answered in exasperation, "Those other pieces exist to protect the king. They're expendable; the king is not. The point of the game is hiding the king behind other pieces and getting rid of possible threats, all while plotting to get closer to steal the opponents king."

Suzaku was silent, and for a moment Lelouch believed that something he said had actually gotten through, but then the boy exploded.

"That's so stupid! What kind of wimpy king hides behind others like that? I thought kings were _supposed_ to be leaders!"

Lelouch frowned, slightly taken aback, "They are," he insisted, "That's why it's so important that they stay out of enemy fire. If they die, it's all lost."

"What about everyone else?" Suzaku demanded, "They're sacrificing their lives for him, and you're telling me that it doesn't matter as long as the ruler remains intact? That's not fair! I don't care if he's a king or not, no one life can be more important than all of these other people! I would never want to follow someone like that!"

"It's just a game, Suzaku," Lelouch said in a placating manner.

Suzaku shook his head furiously, "No, it's not."

Lelouch stared into Suzaku's hard, passionate face, and he finally understood.

"No," he agreed slowly, "I suppose it isn't."

Suzaku never ceased to amaze him. One second, he was ready to write the boy off as a hard-headed moron, the next that same moron was offering a surprisingly compelling argument on ethics.

Lelouch thought back to all the chess matches he had had with Schneizel. He had always accepted that the king was what mattered. But what was a king without his people? If you stripped him of his titles, his land, and his wealth; he was just a man who could easily be replaced.

"You're right," Lelouch decided.

Suzaku blinked, "_I am_?" he asked disbelievingly. In all their short span of friendship, he couldn't ever remember a time Lelouch had actually agreed with him.

"Yes. If a king doesn't lead the way, how can his subjects be expected to follow? From now on, I will always lead the way in life," Lelouch declared, moving his black king to the front of the board, ready to lead his pawns into battle. He wouldn't be like his father, hiding behind his subjects (_Mother_) without caring if they (_she_) lived or died. He would be better and stronger, and one day, he would surpass the Emperor.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp snort.

"Who'd want to follow you?" Suzaku demanded, "You can't run or throw a ball, and you fight like a girl!"

Lelouch frowned, "At least I'm not an exercise maniac like you!"

Suzaku laughed, "Don't worry about it, Lelouch. If you do somehow manage to inspire people to follow your lead, I'll be there to protect you. Just like a knight protecting his princess!"

"Shut up!" the former prince snapped, punching Suzaku in the arm, which only seemed to make the boy laugh harder.

Once the giggles finally died down, Suzaku glanced up at Lelouch, eyes bright, "Can we do something else now? You promised me that if I played chess with you for a while, I could choose the next game."

"All right," Lelouch sighed.

Suzaku beamed and disappeared into the back of the storehouse, returning with Nunnally in toe, presumably so she could join in.

The long stick in his hands was quite possibly the most frightening thing that Lelouch had ever seen. At least it was, until he saw the bright grin on Suzaku's face and the somewhat crazed look in his eyes.

"So," Suzaku asked, resting the stick against his shoulder, "ever played baseball?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Don't ask me how Suzaku plans to play baseball with only three people, one of which is wheelchair bound. Sorry that it's so short. The next chapter should be longer. I can't believe how much dialogue was in this chapter. It's unusual for me, but at least this time there were no sound drama references.

Reviews please?


	4. November

**Author's Note: **This is late. This is very _very_ late. I have no excuse. I'm sorry.

**Warnings: **A little bit of SuzaLulu, but I think it could easily be written off as brotherly affection. Also references to Stage 0.533.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass, which is probably a good thing. The plot is messed up enough as it is without me getting involved.

* * *

**November**

Suzaku was certain he would never quite understand the relationship Lelouch and Nunnally shared. Yes, she was a sweet girl, with a smile that lit up a room and a personality that made you want to protect her. Suzaku could understand that, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that Lelouch took it just a tiny bit too far.

The truth was that Lelouch's entire life revolved around the girl. Every action he made and every step he took was for Nunnally and Nunnally alone. There wasn't a doubt in Suzaku's mind that Lelouch would have been perfectly happy to walk straight into hell if his little sister happened to ask him to do so (not that she ever would).

It wasn't that Suzaku necessarily thought that this was a bad thing, he just wondered if it was entirely _healthy_ for someone's entire world to revolve around a single person.

But really, what did Suzaku know? He was an only child. Perhaps he would have acted the same way if he happened to have a little sister as cute and gentle as Nunnally. The closest thing he had was Kaguya, who was bossy and mean and nothing like Nunnally _at all_.

Still, times like this, Suzaku honestly did wonder if Lelouch's protective big brother bit was just a tad unnecessary.

"She'll be fine, Lelouch!" Suzaku said irritably when his companion turned to look back in the storehouse's direction for the seventh time that day.

"I don't know, Suzaku." Lelouch answered hesitantly. "Maybe I should go back. It could be dangerous to leave her all by herself."

"We're just going into town," Suzaku retorted, "You've left her behind before, so why is this time any different?"

Lelouch shrugged his shoulders, which probably meant that he didn't have a real answer. Still, despite his friend's logic, he couldn't help but continue to glance worriedly back at the path leading to his sister.

Suzaku sighed, "Look, you still want to go to the earthquake demonstration, don't you?"

Lelouch nodded his head reluctantly.

"Then come on! Nunnally is stronger than you give her credit for. For once in your life, can't you just forget about her and do what you want?" Suzaku asked, exasperated.

It turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"Nunnally is my sister. She always comes first!" the prince snapped.

Suzaku rolled his eyes, "I think you should come first sometimes too. Wouldn't Nunnally want that for her brother?"

Lelouch's face softened and he looked down at his feet, as if he expected to find answers in the dirt.

Sensing that this line of tactics was striking a chord, Suzaku continued, "Imagine how guilty she'd feel if you came home early because of her?"

Lelouch scowled, crossing his arms, and Suzaku knew that for once he had won.

"Fine, but we're coming right back afterwards!"

"All right," Suzaku agreed, nodding easily. And with that, he grabbed Lelouch's wrist, partly to make sure he didn't try to run off and partly because he was just so _slow_, and proceeded to drag him the rest of the way.

* * *

Genbu Kururugi had chosen a very odd place to live. As prime minister, it would have made more sense to pick a center of society and industry as his home. A place like Tokyo or Nagasaki, not on some nameless mountain with only a small village at its base as a key to civilization. However, Genbu apparently liked the privacy and the beautiful view the area afforded, even if it meant that he constantly had to travel back in forth in order to actually run the country.

Lelouch had grown up in a city all of his life, so the first time he had done gone into town (purely out of necessity); the size of it had blown him away. Only a few small shops, a cluster of houses here and there, and dozens of fearful, gaping faces. Faces that quickly became angry and were prone to ganging up on him.

Lelouch didn't like going into town much.

Suzaku must have been able to see the growing apprehension on Lelouch's face, because the boy gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Don't worry," he said with a reassuring smile, "I'm right here with you."

Lelouch offered a small smile back, nodding slightly as they headed towards the village museum.

It seemed ridiculous for such a small, out of the way place to have its own museum, but that was just something that came from having such a rich patron living amongst them. Genbu had built the establishment on a whim, and it's large, shiny white interior stuck out sharply among all the homey mom-and-pop stores. It simply didn't belong, and Lelouch sympathized with it.

"Come_ on," _Suzaku said, tugging harder now.

_Suzaku will never be known for his patience,"_ Lelouch thought, slightly amused as he once again allowed his friend to pull him through the automatic door.

The whole museum seemed to be dedicated to disaster awareness. In one section, fascinated spectators were learning how to put out a fire and in another a tour guide was leading a group and making emphatic gestures as she spoke.

Suzaku ignored all of this and walked right up to a security guard who was standing near the entrance.

"Excuse me, sir? My friend and I came here by ourselves to see the earthquake simulator. Would you mind keeping an eye out for us until we leave? Just to be safe."

The man raised an eyebrow, taking in the sight of the two boys. Or rather, the Japanese boy and the _Britannian _boy, "Your friend?" he asked, in a tone that suggested that Suzaku had befriended some kind of rodent rather than a person.

Suzaku frowned, "Yes, my _friend._"

The security guard sighed and finally nodded. He might not have liked the idea of looking out for Britannia's prince, but it wouldn't do to get on the bad side of the prime minister's boy.

But still he had to ask…"Does your father know that you're here?" _With the Britannian_? The question wasn't spoken aloud, but it was clearly implied.

Suzaku, who was on his way to the earthquake room, turned around with a sweet smile, "My father is out of the country at the moment, but even if he was here, I doubt that it would matter. He's never really cared what I do."

* * *

The earthquake simulation room was smaller than Lelouch had expected. About four or five people could go in at a time, and was modeled after a small kitchen, complete with a stove, microwave and a table. Since this room was meant to teach a person what to do in an earthquake, Suzaku and Lelouch were expected to go through tasks such as turning off the stove and propping the door open before huddling under the table to wait for the quake.

"Why do we have to hide under the table?" Lelouch asked. "It doesn't seem like very good protection."

"Underneath kitchen tables and by doorframes are good places to be during earthquakes," Suzaku explained, "They're very sturdy, so they're less likely to give way. Kitchen tables can also protect you from falling objects or the roof collapsing."

Lelouch was a little unnerved by the idea of the roof collapsing over his head while he cowered under a table. Nevertheless, when Suzaku covered his head with his arms and crouched down, Lelouch followed suite.

When Suzaku had mentioned the earthquake simulator, Lelouch had been purely curious. Earthquakes did happen on occasion in Britannia, but never in the area he had lived. The worse thing that could happen in Pendragon was a tornado, which was rare and extremely unlikely.

But he had never considered the pure terror that could come when the earth moved.

Lelouch's eyes widened as the ground began to shake. The floor wobbled drunkenly under him, the kitchen cabinets slapped against their frames in a chaotic symphony, and Lelouch felt like screaming.

It should have been impossible. The ground was supposed to be something hard, solid, _stable_. It was supposed to be the foundation. It shouldn't be allowed to break out from under him. Not like everything else had.

_Nunnally was screaming as their mother's blood soaked into her dress. Lelouch couldn't remember seeing a gun or hearing a shot. He just remembered seeing those bodies on the stairs. Nunnally's lavender eyes, wide and horrified before they closed themselves to the world forever…_

"—louch! Lelouch, snap out of it!"

It wasn't really the words that "snapped" Lelouch out of it. It was the shear _volume_ in which they were spoken. That, combined with Suzaku's rapid shaking of his shoulders would have been enough to wake the dead.

"Stop yelling at me, Suzaku! I'm fine!" Lelouch snapped, pulling himself out of the boy's grip.

Suzaku scowled, "You are not fine! You were practically a zombie back there! What happened?"

"It's none of your concern." Lelouch replied, attempting to brush past Suzaku in order to get to the exit. But rather than allowing him to go, Suzaku moved to block his way.

"Of course it is! You're my friend, and when my friend has a freaky breakdown I have a right to be concerned!" Suzaku yelled. But his eyes weren't angry. They were worried and afraid.

Lelouch's face softened by a fraction, "Just drop it, Suzaku. Please?"

Suzaku shook his head, "I can't do that. I can't just ignore that you're obviously suffering. You always act like you have to handle everything by yourself. But you're not alone, Lelouch. I'm here, but I can't help you if you won't tell me anything. Please, just talk to me."

Lelouch stared at the floor for a long moment, weighing Suzaku's words in his mind before letting out a small sigh, "It's just…scary to think how fragile everything is in this world."

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, tilting his head.

"Everything that exists will eventually crumble and die. Buildings, stones, people. That's the way the world works. There are no absolutes. It can all disappear in a second."

Suzaku looked thoughtful for a moment as he mulled over Lelouch's words, and then he smiled, clasping the former prince's hands, "I won't."

Lelouch blinked, "What?"

"I won't ever disappear. I'll become your absolute." Suzaku declared earnestly.

"You can't promise that, Suzaku," Lelouch said. But a small smile was creeping up in the corner of his lips.

"I can," Suzaku insisted. "I, Kururugi Suzaku, hereby solemnly swear that I will always continue to live on for Lelouch vi Britannia. No matter what."

Lelouch laughed, "So formal. You sound like a knight."

Suzaku made a face, "Not a knight. I'd never want to be a knight, especially not yours."

"So be it. I accept Kururugi Suzaku. Can we please go home now? I'm afraid that we've been holding up the line."

Suzaku beamed, "Yes!"

They walked out of the museum the same way they had walked in, hand and hand.

_Living on forever,_ Lelouch mused, _How ridiculous._

But some part in the back of Lelouch's mind, in a place that went beyond common sense and logic, couldn't help but believe it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I must admit, I have never been in an earthquake, so I have no idea what one would be like. However, I did model the disaster museum after the Ikebukuro Bosaikan, especially the earthquake room.

**Author's Note II: **After I posted October Part II, I had a minor personal crisis. I would look in my e-mail every day, but I wasn't getting any reviews. I know that there are plenty of wonderful stories out there that never get any reviews, but you must understand that this had never happened to me before. I always got at least one per chapter. To make matters worse, I was insecure about the length and amount of dialog in the drabble, so I was honestly considering deleting it. I found out later that for some reason, my review alert was turned off so my reviews weren't being sent to my e-mail. The reason I'm telling you all this is because I want to reiterate how much your feedback means to me. You guys are awesome, and because you're awesome I want to address your reviews personally.

**beautifuldisasterxo: **I think it goes without saying that Lelouch and baseball don't mix. However, me posting this chapter obviously means that he managed to survive.

**piratepenguin666: **Yes, they are very smart nine year olds, aren't they? Your comments made me laugh. Letting go of the bat is definitely something Lelouch would do.

**Aki1: **I actually already replied to your review, but I still want to thank you for encouraging me to keep up the last chapter. You saved it.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm asking my readers to please review! As my fantastically long author's note has proven, I need feedback. It turns out that I'm extremely needy and require more love than a golden retriever.


	5. January

**Author's Note:** Another update so soon? This must be some kind of personal record. In case you didn't see, I wrote a separate drabble for Christmas in the Summer of Joy-verse. That fills up my quota for December.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Code Geass.

**Warnings:** As always, any SuzaLulu is purely up to interpretation. I'm not even sure why I put this under the Romance genre, other than I hoped it would pull in more readers.

* * *

**January**

Lelouch was not a morning person. He was willing to wake up early if it was necessary (and it always was), but that did not mean that he was going to be happy about it.

That being said, he certainly did _not_ appreciate being woken up just before midnight.

"Suzaku?" he asked groggily, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here?" Suzaku said, "It's New Year's Eve! You don't want to miss the ringing in of the New Year, do you?"

"It will come whether I'm awake or not," Lelouch answered flatly.

"What's going on?" came Nunnally's sleep laden voice.

Suzaku beamed, "In a few minutes, it will officially be 2010! We have to go and make the first shrine visit of the year!"

Lelouch glowered, "And _why _do we have to do this in the middle of the night?"

"Because it's tradition," Suzaku replied simply.

"Not our tradition," Lelouch pointed out.

"I don't know, I think it sounds like fun," Nunnally remarked. She woke up a lot easier than her brother did.

"Please Lelouch? New Year's is really important, and I want you both to share it with me."

Between the hopeful, pleading faces of his sister and his best friend, Lelouch really didn't have a chance.

* * *

"Why do we have to wear these?" Lelouch demanded, indicating the deep blue kimono Suzaku had forced on him. They were uncomfortable, hard to put on, and difficult to move in. He was uncoordinated enough without adding a trail of constricting fabric to the mix.

"Tradition," Suzaku repeated as he struggled to put on his own dark green robe. Lelouch had a feeling that "tradition" was going to be the theme of the night.

"I like it," Nunnally said, "The material is so soft."

Getting on Nunnally's kimono on had been a challenge. Lelouch had refused to allow Suzaku to help him, so his friend had to instruct Lelouch on how to dress her step by step with his eyes shut.

However, the end result was breathtaking.

"It looks beautiful on you, Nunnally," Suzaku told her. The silk was light pink and accented by a lavender obi. On the fabric was a print of soft clouds and numerous cranes with their wings outstretched. "I'm glad that Kaguya's old kimono fits so well."

"Unlike mine," Lelouch grumbled. His kimono was slightly baggy, with loose folds of fabric hanging off his thin frame.

"It's not my fault that you're smaller than me," Suzaku said defensively.

"No, I guess not," Lelouch conceded. He didn't want to ruin Nunnally's excitement by picking a stupid fight.

"If we're all ready, we should go," Suzaku declared, going behind Nunnally's wheelchair to give her a push.

"I'll do that!" Lelouch protested.

Suzaku smiled back at him, "It's okay. I don't mind pushing her. Besides, we both know I have more stamina than you."

"Fine," Lelouch agreed begrudgingly. He really didn't like anyone taking care of Nunnally other than himself, but he supposed that with Suzaku it would be okay.

He allowed Suzaku to lead the way, out the door and into the New Year.

* * *

It was very crowded. There seemed to be people everywhere you looked, with venders selling food and charms, and countless lights giving the shrine a bright, festive appearance. Many visitors were wearing kimonos, despite the cold.

It was completely different from Lelouch's experience with New Year's Eve. His mother had never let him or Nunnally stay up this late, but he remembered sneaking downstairs and seeing the vibrant party, with people laughing and alcohol flowing. Here it was different. Everyone was obviously enjoying themselves, but there was something more reverent in the air. Something that spoke of hope and anticipation.

"Come on, we don't want to miss it!" Suzaku called. He had already gone ahead, splitting through the crowds to the front of the shrine.

Picking up the dragging hem of his kimono, Lelouch rushed to catch up. As he did so, he became conscious of the heated glares and whispered conversations for the first time.

"What are _they _doing here?"

"Can you believe they're wearing kimonos? Are they mocking us?"

"I can't believe Kururugi-kun brought them here! What is wrong with that boy?"

It wouldn't have bothered Lelouch as much if only he were able to hear them. The problem was, Nunnally could too.

"Maybe this was a mistake," she said quietly, "People don't seem to want us around."

"I do," Suzaku said firmly, "I want you two here, and that's all that matters."

Nunnally smiled, "I guess it's okay then."

"Absolutely," Suzaku said, nodding, "Now it's almost midnight. That means that it should be starting soon."

"What?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku winked, "You'll see."

A group of men (probably monks) stepped out from inside the shrine. Together they walked over to a large bell hanging in a wooden enclosure near the main shrine.

One of the men spoke a small speech in rapid Japanese that Lelouch couldn't follow, and then took the large, mallet-like contraption hanging from the ceiling and swung it into the bell. A great peal of sound rose into the air at the contact.

After the monk was finished, people began to line up, each eager to hit the bell themselves.

"So much sound!" Nunnally cried, a bright smile on her face.

"Why are they doing this?" Lelouch asked.

"They're ringing in the New Year!" Suzaku replied. "Come on, we need to get in line!"

They had already been near the front of the shrine, so they didn't have long to wait. Suzaku went first, taking the mallet and making the eleventh peal of the New Year. He bowed briefly, and then turned to Lelouch.

"Now you go!" he said.

The mallet was very large, and Lelouch was just barely able to move it enough for it to make a sound. When Nunnally's turn came, both he and Suzaku had to lift her out of her wheelchair and push her forward in order for her to ring the bell.

"Will people be ringing this bell all night?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku shook his head, "The bell is rung one hundred and eight times to honor the New Year. It is believed in Buddhism that one hundred and eight is the number of sins in the world, and by ringing the bell we are freed from those sins for the New Year."

Lelouch doubted that the simple act of ringing a bell could free a person of sin, but he kept his mouth shut about it.

"Is that all we came here for?" he asked. He was cold, sleepy, and longing for his bed.

"No way!" Suzaku answered, "We still haven't done our New Year's prayers!"

"Prayers?" Lelouch asked.

He led them towards the shrine's main altar. Many were there already, heads bowed and hands clasped.

Suzaku pulled out some coins from his pocket and placed them into a small box. "You make an offering, ring the bell hanging from the rafters; clap your hands to summon the gods, and then you pray."

"Sounds like a good way for the temple to make money," Lelouch muttered.

Pretending like he hadn't heard that, Suzaku pulled at the cord, showing them how a prayer was done in order to demonstrate. Nunnally went after that, and then they both turned to look at Lelouch expectantly.

Lelouch shook his head, "Your gods are not mine, Suzaku." Lelouch wasn't even sure if he really believed in God anymore.

Suzaku laughed, "That doesn't matter! This isn't a religious ceremony. It's like making a wish."

"I don't believe in wishes," Lelouch said quietly, "I believe in making things happen for myself, not waiting for some divine being to do it for me."

"That's not what this is about!" Suzaku protested, "A wish is like hope or a dream for the future. You have to believe in that!"

Lelouch shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry, but I just don't feel right about doing it."

Suzaku sighed, "All right."

Seeking to change the subject, Nunnally asked Suzaku, "What did you wish for?"

"I wished to become stronger. Strong enough to protect all the things I care about," Suzaku said, face set with passion and determination. "What did you wish for Nunnally?"

"I wished that Lelouch and I could stay here with you forever! I want us to always be together." Nunnally said brightly.

Suzaku smiled at her hope, "That's what I want too."

It was a beautiful dream, but deep in his heart Lelouch knew that it couldn't come true. Britannia's presence was growing more daunting every day. They were going to invade sooner or later, and when that happened, Lelouch doubted that Japan had a chance.

* * *

After they had all bought charms, gotten their fortunes told, and eaten several bowls of New Year's soba noodles, Suzaku finally let them go to bed. It was three in the morning by then and Nunnally had already fallen asleep.

"Can I sleep over?" Suzaku whispered, not wanting to wake the slumbering girl.

Lelouch smiled, "I figured you would anyway."

The boys carefully placed Nunnally into her bed before settling themselves into Lelouch's.

It felt like Lelouch had been sleeping mere minutes before Suzaku was shaking him awake again.

"Suzaku," he groaned, "Nooo."

"Lelouch, wake up," the boy whispered, "You wouldn't want to miss the first sunrise of the year."

Reluctantly, Lelouch allowed Suzaku to pull him out of his warm bed and into the cold, early morning air.

"Now we just have to get up onto the roof," Suzaku declared.

_That _woke Lelouch up. "The roof!"

"Of course. We'll be able to see much better from the roof," Suzaku replied.

Lelouch glowered, "I hate you."

Suzaku laughed, "Relax Lelouch. There's no way I'd let you fall."

With only Suzaku's reassurances for protection, Lelouch found himself following his friend to the roof of the storehouse. Suzaku of course, scurried up there like a squirrel, and then spent a great deal of time essentially pulling Lelouch up after him.

"Why didn't you bring Nunnally with us?" Lelouch asked. Not that he wanted his sister hanging out on rooftops of course, but it was still odd that Suzaku hadn't asked her to join them.

"I thought she could use the sleep," Suzaku replied, shrugging.

"So do I," Lelouch pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess, but you know she's blind too. I thought that looking for a sunrise that she couldn't see might make her sad." Suzaku explained.

"Oh, that makes sense, but why did you have to pull _me _out here?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku smiled, "Once you see it, I think you'll understand. Now shut up. Here it comes."

The sun rose into the sky as an orange-yellow ball of light, chasing away the night darkness and painting the sky in golds, pinks and purples. It was the light of a new year, a new beginning, bathing the land in the hopes and dreams of every person in the world.

This was the fundamental difference between the Japanese and the Britannian New Year. In Britannia, it was all about saying goodbye. They were so focused on the last drink, the last party, the last seconds before midnight. But in Japan, it was all about the firsts. First shrine visit, first wish, first steps in the snow, and Lelouch liked that. He would much rather revel in the promise of the future than look towards the past.

"It's beautiful, Suzaku," Lelouch murmured, "Thank you for showing it to me."

His friend smiled, "And thank you for bringing in the New Year with me. I can tell that 2010 is going to be special."

Lelouch nodded.

"Now, why don't we go back to bed?" Suzaku suggested.

"_Thank you_," Lelouch said. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy to hear those words in his entire life. It was funny, all he had ever wanted last year was to stay up with his mother, and this year all he wanted was to go back to bed.

Suzaku laughed, helping Lelouch down the roof and back into their shared bed.

"Happy New Year, Lelouch," Suzaku said sleepily.

"Happy New Year," Lelouch answered.

Suzaku fell asleep right away, but surprisingly, Lelouch found himself staying awake a little longer, dreamily contemplating the ceiling. And it was then, with Suzaku's warmth against his side and the sound of Nunnally's soft breathing in the background, that Lelouch discovered a perfect moment. A single instant where everything was good and beautiful and _right_ with the world, and in that point in time, Suzaku's voice came to him unbidden.

"_A wish is like hope or a dream for the future."_

"I don't know if there's a god or kami or some kind of spirit up there listening," Lelouch whispered, "but if there is, all I ask is that they please grant my wish."

He wasn't like Nunnally. He knew better than to believe in forever. Things were constantly changing, and nothing could make it stay the same, not even God. But still…"Please, _please, _let us stay here. Let us stay like this just a little longer."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Happy New Year! Now, maybe you can give me my first reviews of the New Year? Please?

Also, I need to clarify something for one of my anonymous reviewers. Sadly, I'm not writing about Lelouch's birthday. I missed it, and anyway I never planned anything for the occasion. I'm very sorry!


	6. January Part II

**Author's Note: **I'm baaack! Did you miss me? _(crickets)_…Yeah, I didn't think so.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass. It took a combined effort between two psychiatrists, an English teacher, a priest and a rabbi to convince me otherwise. I was institutionalized shortly afterwards on account of the ensuing depression.

**Warnings: **Nothing offensive that I can see. Some small references to sound drama 0.521.

* * *

**January Part II**

Lelouch had never given much thought to Suzaku's home life. It had always somehow seemed irrelevant. Suzaku was either with him or he wasn't, and Lelouch didn't care about what he did all the times in between. It was always somewhat of a shock when Suzaku spoke of the estate or showed up to for a visit wearing his school uniform. It was like running into one of your teachers on the street. Logically, you knew they had lives outside of your perception, but it was still astonishing to discover that they existed outside of the classroom.

But, after a single, offhand comment from Nunnally, his feelings changed.

"What's you mother like, Suzaku?" she had asked. Lelouch couldn't remember what had prompted the question, but at the time he had been intrigued. He couldn't recall ever hearing anything about Suzaku's mother. She was a mystery.

Suzaku's face had taken on a strained, pinched quality, and he had simply answered, "She's gone."

"Where did she go?" Nunnally had inquired innocently.

Suzaku shrugged, "I don't know. She's just gone."

Nunnally had looked confused, but Lelouch had understood and quickly changed the subject. It wasn't brought up again.

However, even though his curiosity was unspoken, Lelouch had found himself wondering about Suzaku's life for the first time. The boy came over constantly. He ate meals with them, regularly slept over, and basically spent every free minute at their side, yet no one had ever once gone looking for him. Didn't anyone wonder where he was or care that he was missing? Back when they lived in the palace, he and Nunnally had barely been able to be on their own for more than an hour before some servant sought them out. And what about his father? The man never seemed to be around, and Suzaku barely mentioned him.

In fact, he was spoken of so rarely that when the prime minister returned home after several months overseas, Lelouch only heard about it by listening to a snippet of conversation while he was in the village.

"_Did you hear that Prime Minister Kururugi has come home?"_

"_It's about time! He's been gone for ages!"_

At the time, this piece of information had meant very little to him. He despised Kururugi Genbu after what he had tried to do to Nunnally, and he was fairly certain that the sentiment was mutual.

It hadn't occurred to him that Suzaku may have felt differently.

* * *

By then, Suzaku's visits had become routine. He would more or less come around at the same time every day, so it was extremely unusual for him not to show up. So unusual that Lelouch didn't know quite what to do with his free time. He never realized how _boring _it was without Suzaku around. He was always the one pushing them into things. He would come up with games and little expeditions across the grounds. Lelouch would often complain every step of the way, but he would usually end up having more fun than he could ever remember having back home (although he wasn't really sure if Britannia was home anymore).

Without Suzaku, it was just Lelouch and Nunnally, and as much as Lelouch loved his sister, there was only so much he could do with her alone (and only so many times he could read the same books to her over and over). And then, when she went to take her afternoon nap, it was just Lelouch, all by himself.

He ended up taking a walk.

It wasn't as boring as it sounded. Lelouch was so used to being busy cooking, cleaning or chasing Suzaku around, it was kind of nice to just wander around and admire the scenery.

But then Lelouch heard a rustling noise and faint footsteps, and he quickly ducked behind the nearest tree. While no one had specifically stated that he couldn't explore the grounds by himself, he was willing to bet it wasn't encouraged.

But it was only Suzaku.

Lelouch took a step forward, opening his mouth to call out to his friend, perhaps to ask where he had _been _all day, but something made him stop. It was the way Suzaku was rushing towards that distant clump of trees. Why would he be doing that? He couldn't be heading to the storehouse; it was in the opposite direction…

It was then that Lelouch noticed the second figure. He was standing in the shadows, so Lelouch could only make out the faint silhouette of its back, but he could clearly see that it was an adult, probably male.

And, while he couldn't make out the man's features, he was close enough to see Suzaku's clearly. The boy was positively _beaming_ in pleasure and talking in elated Japanese that Lelouch could barely hear, let alone translate. Whoever this was, it was obvious that Suzaku was thrilled to see him.

"_Did you hear that Prime Minister Kururugi has come home?"_

"_It's about time! He's been gone for ages!"_

Something in Lelouch's head clicked.

_Oh_, he thought dully.

A part of Lelouch rebelled at the idea that Suzaku could be so happy to see the man that had tried _marry_ a seven year old. Who could possibly greet someone like that so readily when they knew full well what he had almost done?

But, as Lelouch's mother once told him, you didn't have to be a good person to be a good leader. He supposed it applied to fathers as well. One didn't have to be a good person to be a good father, and one didn't necessarily have to be a good father for his child to love him. Whether Lelouch liked it or not, this man had _raised _Suzaku. It was hard to hate someone after that, no matter what they did. In all honesty, some part of Lelouch couldn't help but feel just a little jealous.

Were things going to change now? Certainly Suzaku wouldn't be able to come over as often as he used to. This was probably why he hadn't been over all day. Lelouch doubted that the prime minister liked his son playing with the children of the enemy. No one else seemed to.

"Lelouch? What are you doing here?"

Perhaps internal contemplation wasn't the best thing to do while spying on a friend. Especially when you were (he now realized) very poorly hidden.

Lelouch turned towards inquisitive green eyes, "I was taking a walk," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

Suzaku raised an eyebrow, "And you decided to take a rest behind a tree?"

Another shrug, "Shouldn't you be with your father right now?" The words came out far more bitter than he intended, and Lelouch instantly wished he could take them back.

"My father?" Suzaku repeated, sounding slightly confused.

"I heard he came back, today." Lelouch said (while trying to ignore the increasingly resentful feelings stirring up in the pit of his stomach).

"Well yeah, but I'm pretty sure he's been working in his study since he got home. He hasn't sent for me, so I haven't seen him yet." Suzaku replied, "I actually kind of forgot that he was here."

"But I just saw you with him!" Lelouch protested, completely forgetting he had been trying to "play it cool" just a second ago.

"Saw me with…? Oh!" Suzaku cried, "You mean Tohdoh-sensei!"

"…Who?"

"Tohdoh-sensei!" Suzaku repeated, laughing. "Tohdoh Kyoshiro. He's my martial arts teacher. He's in the military so he's away a lot of the time, but he teaches me whenever he can."

"Oh," Lelouch said quietly. Well, this was a phenomenal misunderstanding.

"You didn't have to hide behind a tree, you know!" Suzaku scolded him, "You should have just said hello! Sensei would have been happy to meet you. In fact," and at these words, his emerald eyes lit up like they often did when he had an idea, "you and Nunnally should come with me for kendo practice tomorrow!"

"What? Why?" Lelouch couldn't think of anything appealing about watching two people hit each other with sticks.

Suzaku tilted his head, "Why not?"

And for all of his supposed intelligence, Lelouch still couldn't come up with a good answer to this, which is why the next day found he and his sister standing in front of a medium-sized, rectangular building made out of wooden walls and gray roof tiles. The Kururugi's private dojo.

"Are you sure this is okay, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked, eying the entrance warily. The Japanese hadn't exactly given him and Nunnally a warm reception, especially the adults.

"It'll be fine! Sensei won't mind having some people watching," Suzaku reassured him.

Lelouch sucked in a breath, "All right then," he muttered, reaching towards the door.

"Wait," Suzaku said, pulling the prince's hand back, "We can't go through that door."

"Why not?" Nunnally asked.

"In a dojo, students traditionally come in through one entrance and instructors use another." Suzaku explained, "There's another door in the back."

Suzaku led them to the back door, and after pausing briefly to take off their shoes, the group entered the martial arts training hall.

The inside was basically just a single open space. It was very simple, with wood flooring and plain walls except for a single hanging that was marked with a Japanese character. According to Lelouch's somewhat limited Japanese, it read "Endure".

The only other attraction in the room was the man sitting cross legged on the floor.

He was a stern looking man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, with a somewhat pinched, leathery face. Small, sharp brown eyes were set under thick eyebrows, which were furrowed in what Lelouch could only assume was disapproval.

"Suzaku, what is this?" His voice matched his face, low, firm and full of veiled authority.

But Suzaku didn't seem to notice, so perhaps the face and the tone were merely a sort of default setting. "These are my friends, Lelouch and Nunnally," he replied, "Is it okay if they watch my practice, sensei?"

The man, Tohdoh, turned his grave eyes to the Britannian children, and after what seemed like an eternity of scrutiny, he nodded once. "That's fine. Now go get changed so we can begin."

"Yes sir!" Suzaku answered, quickly scampering off to a previously unnoticed side room and leaving Lelouch and Nunnally alone with his teacher.

There were several seconds of awkward silence before Tohdoh finally attempted to break the ice.

"I hope that my student hasn't given you two much trouble."

"Not at all!" Nunnally assured him, "We had a rocky start with him at first, but he's been a wonderful friend."

"I'm glad," Tohdoh said. Unfortunately, beyond that he didn't seem interested in engaging in conversation, and the uncomfortable silence stretched on.

"I'm ready," Suzaku declared. He was dressed in the blue pleated pants and the loose white shirt (hakama and gi, Lelouch would learn later) that he had been wearing when he and Lelouch had first met. It was funny to think about how much had changed since then.

Tohdoh handed Suzaku a wooden training stick. They started with several minutes of warm-ups, many stretches and what seemed like random thrusts of the practice sword. Then both student and teacher equipped themselves with a helmet and some sort of chest piece and walked towards the center of the room. They faced each other, bowed low, and began.

When Suzaku had called it "kendo practice" he apparently meant it very generally. They started with kendo, with rapid dodges and jabs, but the head gear was eventually shed and they escalated to hand to hand combat, with only a brief pause in between in order for both parties to change clothing.

Lelouch had seen Suzaku fight before. Wild, senseless brawls usually instigated on Lelouch's behalf against other children. When Suzaku had spoken of martial arts, he had more or less imagined the same thing.

He couldn't have been more wrong. Those brief battles could hardly compare. Tohdoh and Suzaku moved with a fluid grace that Lelouch never would have thought possible. Both parties struck and dodged and kicked out without once losing momentum. It was like watching some kind of wild dance that had no discernable rhythm or pattern, yet still maintained its beauty.

Lelouch was a smart kid, far smarter than many adults twice his age. He thrived in planning out every single step and preparing for any hurdles that got in his way, but knew himself well enough to realize that he would never be able to do what Suzaku did. To be able to perceive a situation, make a decision in a split second and then act on it in the next. It was a potent combination of instinct, speed and insight that Lelouch would never be able to grasp.

And then Tohdoh struck out at Suzaku's legs. The boy lost his balance, fell to the ground with a hard thump, and the spell was broken.

"Sloppy, Suzaku!" the man barked, "A fighter is only as good as his footwork!"

Suzaku nodded and was about to get back up, but Tohdoh held up a hand.

"I think that's enough for today," Tohdoh said, "Go change your clothes."

"Yes, sir," Suzaku said quietly, hanging his head. He slowly walked off towards the changing room.

"Suzaku, wait!" Lelouch called. He paused briefly to glare at Tohdoh darkly; then went after his friend.

Suzaku had already removed his shirt when Lelouch got there. When he opened the door to the changing room, he found himself face to face with a back full of scars.

"Suzaku, what happened?" he asked, eyes wide in horror. "Did Tohdoh…do all this?"

The boy shrugged, "A lot are from playground fights, but yeah, some are from training. I've been doing this since I was three, so they've added up over the years."

"This? You mean kendo?"

"Kendo, karate, archery, judo, tai kwon do…" Suzaku listed, counting off with his fingers, "I've dabbled in pretty much everything. Like I said before, Tohdoh-sensei isn't here very often, so when he is, we kind of have to pack it in all at once if I want to learn anything."

"_Why_?" Lelouch demanded incredulously, "Why do you do all of this?" Who in their right mind would subject themselves to such pain on _purpose_?

"Because I love it!" Suzaku insisted, "I love pushing my body to its limits and then going farther, faster, stronger than ever before. You have no idea what a thrill it is! I can't imagine anything better."

"But your instructor's so _mean_," Lelouch protested.

"He wasn't being mean. He was just being truthful. I _was_ sloppy. It was a rookie mistake and I really should have known better. He's only criticizing me because he wants me to improve." Suzaku answered.

Lelouch stared at him, disbelieving that Suzaku could be so calm about what appeared to be (in his eyes) repeated abuse, "You're very odd."

Suzaku rolled his eyes, "This from the guy who reads huge books and does crossword puzzles for _fun_."

"Hey, you have your interests and I have mine," Lelouch said defensively, and he wondered, not for the first time, at why they were friends. They really had nothing at all in common.

Suzaku laughed, "Let's go back. I'm sure Nunnally is missing us by now."

When they got back to the main floor of the dojo, they found Tohdoh crouched by Nunnally's wheelchair and clasping her hand as the little girl regaled him with stories of everything she had done that day.

"…and then Lelouch wheeled me outside so we could make a snowman. Lelouch and Suzaku built the body, and I made the head. Suzaku brought some buttons and a carrot along for the face, and Lelouch said that it looked like some kind of snow mutant. I guess Suzaku isn't very good at stuff like that."

Most adults would have wrote it off as the ramblings of a little girl, but Tohdoh's head was tilted and he had a look of rapt attention on his face, like there was something in Nunnally's words that was infinitely important. Lelouch was still wary of him, and mad that he had snapped at Suzaku, but he found himself liking the man just a little bit more.

Hearing their approach, Nunnally turned to Suzaku and Lelouch and smiled, "He has hands just like yours, Suzaku!" she said brightly

Suzaku laughed, "It's the calluses."

"No, it's not just that," Nunnally insisteded, "His hands are rough, but also warm and kind. Just like you, Suzaku."

Suzaku blushed, "Um…we should go," He turned and bowed to Tohdoh once again. "Thank you for the lesson, Tohdoh-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, Suzaku," Tohdoh said, "You got hurt didn't you? Let me take a look at it."

The man pulled out a first aid kit, and Suzaku rolled up his pant leg, revealing a nasty welt from his contact with the floor. The skin had broken and a small trail of blood was making its ascent down his shin.

Tohdoh's hands were surprisingly gentle as he applied antiseptic. Suzaku barely winced at the burning sensation, and Lelouch gathered that this was a regular occurrence. A band aid was placed over the wound, and once again Suzaku was ready to leave.

"I'm sorry that I didn't keep my feet steady," Suzaku said quietly, head low and facing the offending limbs, "It won't happen again."

"It will," Tohdoh assured him, "Mistakes always happen, Suzaku, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Mistakes can be our greatest teachers, far better than I could hope to be. A true master knows that he can only succeed after many blunders."

"Well, I'm not going to repeat this one," Suzaku said earnestly, "I've learned all I need from it."

Tohdoh smiled. It was small, barely there, but if you looked closely you could see something warm and very fond reflected in his eyes. "I know you won't." He reached out to ruffle the boy's hair briefly, and Suzaku smiled at the attention.

"Why don't you go home?" Tohdoh suggested, "I'm pretty sure your father is looking for you."

"Oh," Suzaku said quietly, face falling, "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting. I'll go see him after I take Lelouch and Nunnally home."

"We don't need a babysitter, Suzaku!" Lelouch protested.

"What if you get attacked by monsters in the night?" Suzaku teased, placing himself behind Nunnally's wheelchair. "Someone's got to protect you."

With that, he pushed Nunnally out the door, obviously expecting Lelouch to follow.

Lelouch was about to run after the two, a retort on the tip of his tongue, when a quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Thank you."

Lelouch turned to face the stoic man. "Why?"

"Suzaku's really changed. He's never had real friends before, so I'm glad that you and your sister are with him. I've been gone for a while, so the difference is obvious to me. I've never seen him so happy."

Tohdoh's eyes went beyond Lelouch, gazing into the distance at Suzaku's retreating back. The warm, affectionate expression on his face had returned. It was a look that Lelouch was familiar with and unfamiliar with at the same time.

"It's not so one sided," Lelouch admitted, "I don't think Nunnally and I would have been able to get along without him, and I'm really happy that he's my friend. But, even though I don't think it's necessary, you're welcome anyway."

Tohdoh nodded, and the Britannian prince took that to mean that he was dismissed. He ran to catch up with Suzaku and Nunnally, who had gotten quite of a head start.

It wasn't until much later that Lelouch realized what the soft expression on Tohdoh's hard face reminded him of. He didn't have much personal experience with it, so he couldn't know for sure, but he imagined that it was the face of a father.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I actually had something different planned for this month, but I changed my mind at the last minute, and this was the result. There, **Aki1**. We have Tohdoh/Suzaku interaction. Just so you know, I did not plan this to coorelate with your 333. It is purely a coincidence!

**Note on review responses:** I like responding to reviews. I usually do it with PM, but I can't do that with anonymous senders. I could post responses in the next chapter or on Livejournal instead, but I want to know what you prefer. I'll set up a poll on my profile.

**Review please?**


	7. February

**Author's Note: **Happy belated Valentine's Day! I gift you with fic!

**Disclaimer:** Owning Code Geass? I am not meant for such great power and responsibility.

**Warnings:** Small SuzaLulu hints and Valentine's chocolate. Ye have been warned.

* * *

**February**

Lelouch was incapable of saying no to his sister. It had always been that way, even before their mother had died. He was capable of arguing with everyone else, but when he was faced with Nunnally's sweet little face, she always got her way. Always.

So when she decided that she wanted to make Suzaku Valentine's Day chocolate, Lelouch hadn't been able to deny her. Even if it meant that he had to go to the bookstore and to find a relatively simple recipe, all the while trying to ignore the store manager's heated glares and wading through confusing Japanese directions.

It was worth it when he came home, his arms laden with ingredients, to her bright, excited smile.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Nunnally exclaimed. "I've never cooked for anyone before!"

"Well, I'm sure Suzaku will be honored," Lelouch replied. "Now, let's get started."

Cooking was messy, especially when you were doing it with a blind girl. Not that he blamed Nunnally for the accidents that inevitably ensued. Anyone could drop a cup of sugar on the floor, and it was Lelouch who had left the chocolate on the burner to long. It burned to a crisp, resulting in a fowl smell and the development of a second batch. To make matters worse, they were going off directions Lelouch had hastily translated and copied down on his arms. Naturally, some confusion ensued.

However, after many mistakes, they finally had melted chocolate to pour into a baking pan.

"We're supposed to let it cool at room temperature for a while, and then refrigerate it," Lelouch explained. "We don't have a fridge, so we're going to have to put it outside and hope for the best."

Nunnally nodded, "Thanks for helping me with this, Lelouch."

"It's no problem, Nunnally. But I'm curious, what made you decide that you wanted to do this?" he asked.

"Suzaku told me that on Valentine's Day, you give chocolates to your loved ones, and that homemade chocolates are extra special. Suzaku's been such a good friend these last couple of months, and I really wanted to show him how much I love him."

Lelouch blinked, "You…_love_ him?"

"Yes! I love him very much! Don't you, Lelouch?" Nunnally asked sweetly.

Lelouch blushed, "Uh…well, he is a good friend, so um…," he trailed off awkwardly, glancing towards the chocolate pan.

"…We should clean up while that cools," he suggested quickly.

Nunnally smiled and pretended that she hadn't noticed the sudden change in subject.

* * *

Girls were crazy. Suzaku had come to this conclusion at a very young age. A couple years ago, they would barely go _near _him for fear of germs and cooties and whatever else you could get from close proximity to the opposite gender. Now they were suddenly trying to kiss him on the playground and giggling for no reason at all, and Suzaku had no idea when or _why_ that had changed.

But they were at their worst on Valentine's Day. Suzaku had never been very fond of sweets. He liked candy as much as the next kid, but chocolate was not on his high list of favorite foods. However, on Valentine's Day it was _everywhere_. On his desk, in his locker; shoved in his arms by some girl who would run off shortly after the delivery. And each discovery would usually be accompanied by a chorus of giggles and sidelong glances.

Suzaku didn't understand. What was he supposed to do? Say thank you? Give out presents on White Day? How was he supposed to give out gifts if he didn't even know who most of the chocolates were from?

And then there was the other side of the spectrum. The girls who glared at him, whispering things like, "_Buriki_ lover" and "Traitor to Japan" behind his back, and making a point of _not _giving him chocolates, as if it would matter to him. Suzaku thought he might prefer the gigglers, although not by a very wide margin.

And then of course, there was Kaguya, who neither giggled nor spread around racial slurs. She had mailed a box of chocolates to him, including a pointed note to inform him that the only reason she was doing so was because her family was _making _her, and that she expected a very good White Day gift in return, which Suzaku would follow through on because he was certain that he wouldn't get a choice. Stupid parents and their stupid matchmaking.

So really, while in theory Valentine's was supposed to be a holiday of love and togetherness, for Suzaku it was mostly a source of irritation and stress. He had been counting down the minutes for school to let out and the long car ride home to end (his school was located in a neighboring city over an hour away). He wanted to go to the place where he was happiest. The storehouse, with Lelouch and Nunnally. Nunnally was young enough that she hadn't become weird yet, and neither she nor Lelouch would expect anything out of him or this stupid holiday.

Suzaku didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before ripping off his seatbelt. He ignored the driver's calls, which probably had something to do with his bag in the backseat and the homework he had yet to finish. They didn't matter. He wanted to see them. Everything else could wait.

He ran down the path, heading towards the decrepit little shack. Not bothering to knock, he pushed open the door, and for a second was convinced he had somehow came to the wrong place.

The room looked like a bomb had gone off. The floor was covered in white powder, as were Lelouch and Nunnally, and it smelled like something had very recently caught fire.

"What happened in here?" Suzaku asked incredulously. Had someone pulled some kind of elaborate prank in his absence?

Nunnally giggled (but it was a much sweeter giggle than other giggles, and not nearly as incomprehensible and silly), "Oops, it looks like the surprise was ruined."

"Surprise?" Suzaku repeated, blinking owlishly. He got the feeling he was missing something here, and he really wished someone would clue him in.

Lelouch rolled his eyes, "Yes, a surprise, which was effectively ruined when you came in too early. We would have had all this cleaned up by then."

"It's all right," Nunnally said with a smile. "Now's as good a time as any!"

Lelouch shrugged, walking over to the window and pulling out a pan from the sill.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Suzaku!" Nunnally cried enthusiastically.

"Huh?" Suzaku replied intelligently.

"Nunnally heard about the Japanese custom of making chocolates on Valentine's, so we made these for you," Lelouch explained, indicating the brown clumps that were sticking together on the pan. "Be grateful. It wasn't easy."

"_Oh!_" Suzaku said, comprehension dawning on him at last. He reached out, pulling up a still slightly gooey piece of chocolate and popping it into his mouth. It was maybe a little too sweet for his tastes, and the texture was a bit strange, but the fact that Nunnally had put such thought and effort into making them made them so much better than anything else he had received.

"Is it good?" Nunnally asked eagerly.

Suzaku smiled, "It's delicious," he assured her. "Thank you so much!"

"Hey! I helped too!" Lelouch protested.

Suzaku turned to his friend, a wicked smile growing on to his face, "You did?"

"…Yes," Lelouch answered hesitantly, a bit unnerved.

"So this is from both of you," Suzaku clarified.

"Yes," Lelouch repeated. What was Suzaku getting at?

Suzaku's grin had bloomed into a full blown smirk, "Did you know that in Japan, traditionally _girls_ give chocolate to the _guys_ that they like? I didn't realize how much you cared!"

Lelouch blushed, "No! I don't...I... It was Nunnally's idea!" he sputtered.

Suzaku nodded, "_Sure_ it was. You love me, Lelouch. Just admit it."

Lelouch growled and flung a handful of flour at Suzaku's head. Suzaku retaliated by using one of his chocolates as a missile. And so began the Valentine's Day food fight.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I don't like how short this is. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble (hence the late post), and to be honest, I'm still not entirely satisfied with it, but sometimes you just have to let these things go.

Since no one responded to my poll (or I just did it wrong, I'm really bad with stuff like that), I'm just going to reply to reviews on my livejournal account. The link is on my profile.

**Review please?**


	8. March

**Author's Note: **Happy White Day! I wrote, edited, and posted this all on the same day because I wanted to make the deadline so badly! I hope the work didn't suffer for it.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Code Geass, I would send the money I made to the people suffering in Japan. Unfortunately, I don't, so I can only send them my prayers.

* * *

**March**

In retrospect, Suzaku thought perhaps he should have started shopping sooner. The streets were a chaos of last minute (male) shoppers, rushing from shop to shop in a desperate attempt to find a gift that wouldn't put them in the dog house with their significant other.

It wasn't as if Suzaku had been purposely putting off his White Day shopping. It was just…hard. With Kaguya, it had been easy. Buy some white ribbons, wrap them, put on the postage stamp and done. She wouldn't have expected or wanted anything more from him.

Lelouch and Nunnally were different. They had made an effort for him, and he wanted to do the same. It was the least he could do.

The problem was he had no idea what to get them. Nothing seemed right. What would Nunnally want with ribbons? She couldn't see them anyway. And what was he supposed to get for Lelouch? He was a _boy_!

Lacking better options, Suzaku found himself following other shoppers in the hopes that they knew where they were going. Eventually, they led him to a small flower shop.

_Flowers, huh? _They had never occurred to him. It seemed like kind of a sissy gift for Lelouch, but maybe Nunnally would like them.

The store was packed. Apparently, a lot of people had come to the same conclusion that Suzaku had. However, far outnumbering the people was the greenery. Every available surface was occupied by white blooms of every shape and size. The room permeated with their scent, and Suzaku couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

"Can I help you?"

She was a pleasantly plump, middle aged woman wearing an apron and holding a watering can. Suzaku felt he could trust her with his mission.

"I'm looking for some flowers," Suzaku said timidly.

The woman smiled, "Then you've come to the right place! Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well…maybe something that smells nice?" Suzaku said. If Nunnally couldn't see the flowers, at least she'd be able to take in their fragrance.

"Well, we have a lot of wonderfully smelling flowers. Do you think you can be a bit more specific?" the woman asked.

"I dunno," Suzaku said quietly. "I don't know much about flowers."

"Oh, don't worry about that! Here, I'll help you. The flowers are a gift for someone right? What is she like?" the woman asked kindly.

Suzaku blushed, "I never said I was getting anything for a girl!" he protested.

The woman laughed, "Who else could it be for? It _is_ White Day."

She had a point.

"Flowers are unique, with lots of hidden personality and meaning. Really, they're just like people. To find the right flower, I need to know what kind of person the receiver is," the woman explained.

Suzaku nodded, weighing her words in his mind. How to describe Nunnally?

"…She's sweet," he said finally, "and very kind. The type of person you want to protect. I haven't known her very long, but I know that she's had it rough before. They both have. I just want to erase all that bad stuff and replace it with something happy. I want them to be the happiest people in the world!"

The woman wasn't sure why the boy had started using plural nouns, or what someone so young could know about the "bad stuff", but listening to him talk with such sweet, sincere conviction made her want to help him. And she knew just what flower to give him.

"Come with me," she told Suzaku, leading him to a small table covered in flowers. She motioned towards a vase brimming with cheery white blooms.

"White daffodils," she began, "symbolize innocence and new beginnings. It sounds to me like what you want to give this girl is a new beginning. I can't think of a better gift than that."

Suzaku smiled, "Yeah." A new beginning in a world full of light and laughter where they could all be together. It was everything that Lelouch and Nunnally deserved.

"I'll take them."

* * *

It was silly to be nervous. If they didn't like them, they didn't like them. It wasn't as if Suzaku had put himself out or anything.

He just really, really hoped they liked them.

"What did you want to talk to us about, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked curiously. He wasn't used to his friend looking so solemn, and he was a bit worried.

Suzaku blushed, "I just…well, it's March fourteenth."

"Yeah, so?" Lelouch didn't need Suzaku to tell him the date. He did own a calendar.

"So…um…I…" Suzaku fumbled.

"Is something wrong, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked. "You're acting awfully strange."

Suzaku shook his head rapidly, "No, I just…here."

The Japanese boy practically shoved the small bouquet into Nunnally's arms.

Nunnally tilted her head, running her fingers gently through her newly found parcel. "Flowers?"

"Yeah, it's March fourteenth. In Japan, we celebrate White Day. After boys get their Valentine's Day chocolates, they're supposed to give out white gifts in return," Suzaku explained.

"So you got me flowers?" Nunnally smiled. "I love them, Suzaku! They smell so sweet!" She buried her face in the fragrant petals and breathed deeply. "Thank you."

Suzaku smiled, and Lelouch punched him lightly on the arm, "I'm not sure how I feel about you giving my sister flowers," he teased.

Nunnally let out a small gasp, "Oh, Lelouch! I'm so sorry! You helped me make those chocolates, but I've been keeping Suzaku's present all to myself!"

"No, Nunnally, that's okay," Lelouch reassured her.

"Yeah, Nunnally," Suzaku agreed. "It's fine. I got Lelouch something too."

Lelouch's eyes widened, "You did?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure what to give you at first but…here," blushing again, he handed Lelouch a small box covered in bright orange paper and tape. "I couldn't wrap Nunnally's, but I figured that I should wrap yours."

Lelouch slowly unwrapped the box. Slowly because it was more tape than paper, and it took him a while to get through it all. In the box was tissue paper, and when he finally got to the nucleus of the package's contents, he only found more paper. But this was thick white construction paper, and it was warped in an intricate (if somewhat crude) knot, somewhat resembling a bow tie.

"What is it?" Lelouch asked.

"It's a friendship knot," Suzaku explained. "I'm not very good at origami, but I thought I thought I'd give it a try. I did my best."

The tiny little figure was torn in some places, crumpled in others, and had numerous creases where folds and refolds must have taken place. And Lelouch thought that he could make out the tiniest speck of red.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku laughed, "Just a paper cut. I tried to hide that stain, but I guess I didn't do a very good job. I can try and make you another one if you want."

Lelouch shook his head, "No, I want this one." He knew Suzaku wasn't very good with small crafts like this. This little knot must have taken him hours. No one had ever done anything like that for Lelouch before, "Thank you, Suzaku."

Suzaku smiled, "You're welcome. It was the least I could do. You did give me those chocolates, after all. After declaring your love for me like that, it would be rude not to reciprocate."

Lelouch glared at his friend, "Shut up. Don't ruin the moment."

Suzaku laughed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I may go back and revise this later, but for now, this is it.

**Please remember to send reviews my way, and money and prayer Japan's way. After all, without Japan, there wouldn't be any Code Geass, would there?**


	9. April

**Author's Note: **Is anyone else completely hung over from Easter, or is it just me?

**Warnings: **Finally, a genuine hint towards SuzaLulu! Yaoi fans rejoice! However, since they're still young, it is still open to interpretation.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Code Geass, Lelouch would be an incubus, Suzaku would be a slave, and Schneizel would be a creeper (oh wait, he already is). Don't know what I'm talking about? Clearly you've never visited my Livejournal page.

* * *

**April**

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"No! I'll tell you when!"

"This is silly, Suzaku! Just tell us where we're going!"

Suzaku pouted, "But that would ruin the surprise!" he whined as he guided his unseeing friends towards a mysterious location.

"I don't want to be surprised!" Lelouch retorted irritably.

"Well I do," Nunnally insisted. "Don't be a party pooper, Lelouch."

Lelouch scowled, but chose to say nothing, significantly cowed by his sister's soft reprimand.

"All right!" Suzaku declared happily. "You can look now!"

Lelouch opened his eyes to an explosion of pink. The color hugged the trees in various shades, ranging from tinges of red to almost white.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nunnally said, smile lighting up her features. "I can tell from the smell."

Lelouch nodded, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Describe it to me!" Nunnally pleaded.

"We're in a grove filled with trees, but instead of leaves, they're covered in millions of pink flowers! Some of the petals are loose, and they're fluttering in the wind like pink snow."

"They're cherry blossoms," Suzaku informed them. "Every spring, they bloom. It's a big deal in Japan. People gather to look at them, even organizing festivals and parties in celebration."

"Is that why we brought a picnic basket?" Nunnally asked.

Suzaku nodded, "I thought we could have a cherry blossom viewing party!"

Suzaku had already set up a blanket under the biggest tree. It took some effort (mostly on Suzaku's part) to lift Nunnally out of her wheelchair, but soon they were all sitting within the shade of the tree's branches.

Suzaku had brought a large quantity of food. There were typical picnic dishes, such as sandwiches and chips, but he had also brought Japanese cuisine. Rice wrapped in seaweed that he called onigiri, some brown pouch like thing called inarizushi, or "brown bag sushi", and sweet, round dumplings on sticks. With a bit of encouragement, Lelouch and Nunnally sampled everything, and the grove was filled with the sounds of eating and laughter.

Eventually, the small group sprawled out on the blanket together, bellies full and minds content.

"Why are the cherry blossoms so special, anyway?" Lelouch asked lazily. "I'm sure Japan has lots of flowers that bloom in spring, so why is this one so important?"

"Because they don't last very long," Suzaku answered wistfully. "They may look beautiful now, but soon petals will be falling off branches, and these trees will be left bare." _Vulnerable and dead_. The words weren't spoken aloud, but somehow they were implied.

"Oh," Lelouch said, eyes on the floating petals. Already they were beginning to die, although you wouldn't realize it by merely looking at them. It was the natural order of things. Flowers bloomed and died, just like everything else. But it seemed so…sad. Something so beautiful should have been able to last forever, but nothing ever did.

"But they'll come back, won't they?" Nunnally remarked. "No matter how many times they wither away, they'll always come back. And even if they never do, the flowers still made a lot of people happy, so while their time may have been too short, I don't think they were a life wasted."

Lelouch stared at his unexpectedly profound sister and smiled. "Yeah, they'll be back next year, won't they, Suzaku?"

Suzaku nodded, "Yes, next year. Maybe we can all go and see them again."

"I'd like that," Nunnally said with a smile.

The friends laid there for a few more moments, wrapped in content silence and impossible hope. But such a feeling couldn't last forever.

"What do we do now?" Lelouch asked, sitting up.

Suzaku shrugged, "At _hanami_ parties, people typically eat, play games, and sometimes sing karaoke."

Lelouch scoffed, "I'm _not_ singing."

Nunnally sat up, "I know!" she said eagerly. "Let's play truth or dare!"

_Truth or dare,_ possibly the most horrible group of words ever uttered. The game was the scourge of slumber parties, with the power to make or break reputations, destroy self-esteem, and depending on whether or not you were in a horror movie, it was capable of chaos and death.

But Lelouch and Suzaku were young and unaware of the danger, and Nunnally's sweet little face went a long way in disguising her sinister words, so they agreed without thinking of the consequences.

The boys were predictable in their choices. Suzaku always picked dare, and Lelouch in contrast chose truth. He figured that revealing secrets was better than being forced to do something he didn't want to do. They were also merciless when it came to each other. Lelouch was creative in his dares, forcing Suzaku in a multitude of awkward activities and postions, and Suzaku asked the tough questions, at one point forcing Lelouch to reveal that he had undergone a bed wetting phase when he was much younger.

However, with Nunnally they were gentle. Her dares were never any harder than wheeling around in a circle (once they got her back in her wheelchair), her secrets revealed no darker than her favorite color.

Finally, it became Nunnally's turn. She smiled brightly at Suzaku, "Truth or dare?" she asked him innocently.

"Dare!" Suzaku declared predictably.

Nunnally's grin widened, "All right, let's see…Suzaku, I dare you to…kiss Lelouch!"

Suzaku looked very much like someone had just slapped him, "_What!_"

Nunnally giggled, maybe a little evilly. "You heard me. Kiss my brother!"

"No!" Lelouch cried, eyes wide in horror. "Don't do it, Suzaku!"

But Suzaku had never went against a dare in his life; he wasn't about to start now.

Lelouch began to backpedal off the blanket as Suzaku's face loomed ever closer. "S-Suzaku, wait a second! Think this through." Nunnally hadn't specified _where_ he was supposed to kiss him, after all. Besides, the little girl was blind. If Suzaku could have simply made a smacking noise with his lips. There was no way she would have been able to tell.

"A dare's a dare," Suzaku said simply, the motto of most ten year old boys.

Lelouch scowled, "So that means you're just going to do whatever someone else tells you? That's stu—mmph!"

The kiss was nothing more than a short, warm peck on the lips. Lelouch barely had time to react before it was over and Suzaku was returning to his respective side of the blanket.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Suzaku asked, cheeks red as he stared intently at the grass.

Lelouch didn't answer. He was too flustered to form words. And then soft, girlish giggles penetrated the silence.

"I can't believe you actually did it!" Nunnally gasped, small tears leaking out of her closed eyelids.

In that moment, a single thought ran through both Suzaku and Lelouch's minds simultaneously.

"_I am never playing truth or dare with Nunnally ever again."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **These drabbles keep getting shorter and shorter. It's a bit depressing. To be honest, I'm not really sure where this came from, but I think I had Nunnally channeling Milly for a while there. I somehow went from silly to serious to silly again. I had planned the truth or dare bit from the beginning, but then I got to thinking about the symbolism of cherry blossoms and here we are.

**Don't forget to pray for Japan's wellbeing. Such a beautiful country needs our support, and so does its people.**

**And because I'm a review junky, I also ask you to send some reviews my way to support my habit.**

**Also, review responses are, as always, on my Livejournal page. The link should be under the Homepage on my profile.**


	10. May

**Author's Note:** This is much later than I intended. I wanted it out on Mother's Day, but obviously I didn't make it. Oh well. Enjoy!

**Warning: **Shameless Clamp references.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Code Geass.

_"This" _means that the characters are speaking Japanese.

* * *

**May**

Martial arts had taught Suzaku many things over the years. He had learned patience, endurance, agility, and most of all, observation. No one could read an opponent's body like Suzaku could. Every movement, every twitch, every flex of muscle told him what his adversary would do next, allowing him to formulate the correct response.

All his training had _not_, however, taught him tact.

Suzaku had always been an honest child, and at his age, "honest" usually translated to brutally blunt. No matter how well he could interpret the body, social situations were lost on him. He didn't understand reading the atmosphere, and sensitivity was a foreign concept.

So when he entered Lelouch and Nunnally's little storehouse, he should have noticed the quiet, somber stillness in the air. He should have offered words of comfort, or even left so as not to disturb their melancholy, but he didn't.

"Hey, what are you two doing inside? It's so beautiful out! We should go swimming!" he declared brightly.

Needless to say, when his suggestion prompted Nunnally to burst into tears, he certainly did _not _understand what to do.

"Oh, Nunnally, don't cry! I'm sorry!" Suzaku exclaimed, the little girl's tears causing him to panic a bit as he went through a mental list of things he could have possibly done to upset her.

Lelouch glared in his direction as he scrambled to comfort the little girl, "It doesn't concern you, Suzaku. Go away."

"B-but why?" Suzaku asked, surprised by Lelouch's cold tone. Was Lelouch mad at him? What had he done wrong?

"You wouldn't understand!" Lelouch snapped. "Go away!"

Suzaku shook his head, "No, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

Lelouch scowled. He looked like he was about to sharply retort, but Nunnally interrupted.

"Lelouch, don't be mean to Suzaku. He doesn't know," she said quietly, voice somewhat strained from suppressed hiccups and sobs.

"I don't know what? Please tell me!" Suzaku begged.

Lelouch sighed. "Do you know what today is, Suzaku?"

Suzaku blinked, "…Sunday?" he answered, even though he knew that wasn't what Lelouch was getting at.

"It's _Mother's Day_," Lelouch replied, exasperated.

"…Oh," Suzaku said. And then something finally clicked. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Lelouch shook his head, "No, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just…it's hard, and I was taking it out on you."

Suzaku nodded, "Yeah, I know, but…" He couldn't help but hear Lelouch's words in his head. _"You wouldn't understand!"_

"You don't think I'd understand?" Suzaku asked quietly.

"Suzaku, I didn't mean that. Like I said, I was just upse-"

"You meant it," Suzaku insisted. "But you don't know, Lelouch. You have no idea." And then Suzaku laughed, short and bitter. "Of course you don't. I never told you."

"Suzaku?" Lelouch asked, confused.

"Come with me," Suzaku said suddenly. "I have something to show you."

Suzaku lead Lelouch and Nunnally out of the storehouse, across the grounds, and through the doors of the main house.

"Suzaku," Lelouch whispered nervously, "Nunnally and I shouldn't be here." He could count the number of times he'd entered the main house on one hand, and each occurrence had been strictly out of necessity.

"It's okay," Suzaku assured him. "As long as nobody sees us, we'll be just fine."

That did _not_ make Lelouch feel better. Suzaku was carrying Nunnally on his back so that they wouldn't have to deal with her wheelchair, but Lelouch was extremely conscious of every flickering shadow and faint footstep. If they were caught, they'd all be in trouble.

Suzaku, on the other hand, wasn't worried. The servants were all busy with their own duties, and the compound was big enough to avoid them. He made sure to check if the coast was clear before going down a hallway, but other than that, he made no effort to be stealthy.

But when he heard the approaching footsteps, his demeanor changed completely. His eyes widened, and he shoved Nunnally into Lelouch's arms so fast, the boy was nearly knocked over.

"Hide!" Suzaku hissed. "Fast!"

Lelouch found himself pushed into a closet, nestled between an old coat and an umbrella.

At first, Lelouch figured that Suzaku was talking to a maid or one of the many other servants in the Kururugi's employment. But then he caught the muffled sound of what he thought was the Japanese word for father.

Lelouch peeked out a crack in the door, careful not to jostle Nunnally in his arms.

Yes, there was the tall, imposing figure of Prime Minister Kururugi. Lelouch had only met the man a handful of times, but he reminded him of his own father. It was not a flattering comparison.

"_Suzaku, what are you doing here?"_ Genbu asked.

Suzaku bowed his head respectfully, _"I was on the way to my room, Father. I wanted to go through a few thrusting drills with my bokuto."_

The man raised an eyebrow, _"Why? Tohdoh isn't here to teach you."_

"_Yes, but sensei says that his absence is no excuse for complacency,"_ Suzaku replied.

Genbu nodded, seemingly in approval, _"I expect good results from my son, in school as well as kendo. I better not find out that your grades are slipping."_

"_Of course not, Father,"_ Suzaku replied quickly. If anything, with Lelouch helping him with his homework every afternoon, they had to be rising.

Genbu narrowed his eyes, _"The servants tell me that you've been dallying with the Britannians. Is this true?"_

Suzaku froze, mind reeling. What should he do? He couldn't lie. Father would see right through him!

"_Yes,"_ Suzaku confirmed reluctantly.

"_Those children are __**temporary**__ fixtures in this household. They are not guests, they are hostages. You would do well to remember that."_

Suzaku bowed again, _"Yes, Father."_

Genbu, apparently satisfied with this answer, pushed by his son without another word.

Lelouch was making steady progress in Japanese, but the conversation went by too fast for him to grasp what was said. However, he did understand Suzaku's body language.

It was like he had become a different person. Gone was the spirited, cocky boy with the loud voice and quick temper. He had been replaced with a stiff, polite child, who kept his head towards the floor and only spoke when spoken to.

_This isn't my Suzaku, _Lelouch thought. _This is the Suzaku that his__** father**__ wants him to be._

"The coast is clear, guys!" Suzaku called, throwing the doors to the closet open.

Lelouch frowned, "Did you really have to throw us in a _closet_?" he asked irritably.

Suzaku laughed sheepishly, "I'm sorry, it's the first place I saw."

Lelouch rolled his eyes, but secretly he was glad that Suzaku was back to normal. He didn't know what he would do without his harebrained, loud, obnoxious friend.

Lelouch gratefully unloaded Nunnally back into Suzaku's arms, and they were off again.

Finally, Suzaku stopped in front of a door. With great ceremony, he opened it to reveal a large room.

The place was a mess, with clothes strewn across the floor (including underwear), old candy wrappers and books turned upside down and open on their spines, and a worn, obviously well loved wooden sword twined in the sheets of the bed.

"It looks like a wild boar went on a stampede in here," Lelouch remarked.

Suzaku shrugged, "I've never had a problem with it. I always know where everything is."

He crouched on the floor, carefully putting Nunnally on the bed beside him and gesturing for Lelouch to join him.

Lelouch watched as the Japanese boy cleared away what looked like his karate gi, and pried up the dusty floorboard underneath it.

Nestled in the small hollow was a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper. Suzaku pulled it out carefully, unwrapping the tissue to reveal a wooden picture frame.

"Here," Suzaku said, handing his small treasure to Lelouch.

Within the confines of the frame was an old, faded picture of a young woman. She was wearing a deep red kimono embroidered with golden birds, and if Lelouch looked closely, he thought he could just barely make out the shape of running shoes hidden underneath her long skirt. Certainly an odd combination. Her long, curly brown hair fell loose around her shoulders, framing tan skin and bright green eyes. Very familiar eyes.

Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Is this…?"

Suzaku nodded, "Yeah, that's my mother."

Lelouch ghosted his fingers over the woman's smiling face. "She's beautiful," he said quietly. "She looks just like you."

Come to think of it, Suzaku didn't look anything like his father. Genbu's eyes were a flat gray brown, nothing like Suzaku's bright emerald. His hair was straight, Suzaku's was curly, he was large, Suzaku was small. Sure, Genbu was a lot older than his son, but there should have been at least a slight resemblance. Lelouch looked more like his mother as well, but even he had his father's eyes.

In fact, Lelouch would have said Suzaku looked more like _Tohdoh_ than he did Genbu. Very odd.

Suzaku smiled, "Yeah, a lot of people say that."

"Where is she?" Nunnally asked. "You said she was gone, but surely she must have come back by _now_."

"Nunnally…when I said she was gone, I wasn't telling the truth," Suzaku admitted reluctantly. "Well, maybe that's not right. It wasn't that I was lying or anything. She _is_ gone, and I don't know where she is, but she didn't just go off somewhere. She died when I was three."

"Oh, no!" Nunnally cried. "I'm sorry!"

Suzaku smiled tightly, "It's okay. I was really young when it happened, and I don't remember her very well."

Lelouch's eyes widened. "Nothing?"

"Nope. Father never talks about her. Tohdoh used to tell me stories, but I think it hurt him to talk about it, so eventually I stopped asking. He did give me this picture though!" Suzaku added brightly.

Lelouch tried to imagine what it would be like to not remember his own mother. To not know what her laugh sounded like, to never be able to recall the warmth of her embrace, or the soft lilt of her voice when she spoke. To only have an old photograph taken long before he was born for reference. He couldn't.

Lelouch had been so stupid. He had been so caught up in his own pain; he had acted like he was the only one in the world that was suffering. Like his grief was so unique no one else could possibly understand what he was feeling. He wasn't like Nunnally, he had understood perfectly well what Suzaku meant when he said his mother was "gone," but he hadn't once considered his feelings.

"I'm sorry," Lelouch whispered.

"Don't be," Suzaku replied. "I already said I don't really remember her."

"That doesn't make it any better," Lelouch answered. "What do you know about her? What was she like?"

Nunnally nodded, "Yes, I'd like to hear about your mother!"

Suzaku glanced down at the picture frame a bit wistfully, "Her name was Sumeragi Nadeshiko. Tohdoh always said her name didn't fit her at all. It means pink carnation, but she was _nothing_ like a flower. She was wild, always wrestling around with the boys and getting into fights." Suzaku gestured towards the picture. "Tohdoh said that this was one of the few times that she wore a skirt, and even then it was under extreme protest."

Lelouch looked back at the barely visible running shoes and smiled.

"Who's that man with her? Surely that's not your father?" he asked, indicating the man standing next to her. Unlike Nadeshiko, his hair was pitch black, but he shared her deep green eyes.

Suzaku laughed, "Oh, no! She's only seventeen here, long before she met my father. That's her brother, Subaru! They were really close, and he still visits a lot." Suzaku made a face. "Although he always brings _Kaguya_ with him."

"Kaguya?" Nunnally asked.

"His daughter, my cousin," Suzaku explained with a frown. Obviously wanting to change the subject, Suzaku added, "You know, my mother was the one who named me."

"Oh, really? Japanese names have special meanings right? I've always meant to ask, what does yours mean?" Lelouch inquired.

"Suzaku is a crimson bird of legend," the boy explained. "It's the Japanese name for one of the four creatures in the Chinese constellations."

Lelouch whistled, "That's impressive."

Nunnally nodded, "She must have loved you a lot to give you such a strong name."

Suzaku smiled, "Yeah, maybe. Anyway, the reason I brought you here is because…well, I know our situations aren't _exactly_ the same, but I do understand what you two are going through at least a little. So the next time you're in pain, please don't push me away. I'm not good with emotions. I don't know the right thing to say at the right time, but I still want to help you if I can, even though I'll probably be bad at it."

Nunnally shook her head, "You don't need to be good with words. You're helping in your own, Suzaku way, and that's good all by itself."

The rest of Mother's Day was spent in Suzaku's room. Lelouch and Nunnally told funny stories of Marianne, and Suzaku shared what little he remembered and the tidbits he had learned from Tohdoh, his uncle, and the occasional maid. Hours went by, and eventually Suzaku convinced the siblings to stay the night (after assuring Lelouch that the door would be locked, and that there would be plenty of time to sneak them out tomorrow morning).

The three piled together in Suzaku's big bed. Nunnally fell asleep immediately, but Lelouch and Suzaku stayed awake a little longer, in silent, comfortable awareness of each other.

"Hey, Lelouch?" Suzaku whispered.

"Mm?"

"If our mother's knew each other, do you think they would have been friends?"

Lelouch sat up slightly, meeting Suzaku's eyes in the dark, "Yeah, I think they would."

* * *

**Author's Note:** On Suzaku's mother, I based her character design on Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura. I always thought that if Syaoran and Sakura had a baby (Tsubasa aside) it would look exactly like Suzaku. I didn't go as far as naming her Sakura, but I did name her after Sakura's mother. And as for Subaru, Clamp fans will know who I'm talking about, and if you don't, look up Tokyo Babylon.

**On replying to reviews:** Would it be okay with everyone if I just PM you for now on? I'm worried that people aren't always seeing their replies, and it's easier for me to just answer them as they come. Sometimes by the time the next chapter comes out, I've forgotten what I wanted to say. I will reply to April's reviews on my Livejournal, but after that, I think I'm just going to PM. Sorry to all you anons out there!

**Reviews please? They make me feel loved.**


	11. June

**Author's Note: **Yet again, I just barely make the monthly deadline. I should be drawn and quartered with bendy straws.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass.

* * *

**June**

Lelouch had endured many things. He had witnessed his mother's murder, been disowned by his father, and banished from his homeland in favor of a glorified shack located in a country that hated him. Faced with all that hardship while looking after himself and his sister with little help, Lelouch had believed that he could handle anything.

He never would have thought that _rain_ would be what drove him insane.

Suzaku had tried to warn him. Japanese summers were known for two things; the intense heat and the rainy season, but at the time, Lelouch had dismissed his words. It rained in Britannia too, after all. What was the harm of a little water?

But Suzaku hadn't been talking about "a little water." He had meant a constant torrential downpour.

It would have been annoying under any circumstances, but in the storehouse it was _maddening_. At night, the rain pounded on their roof like a steel drum, and dampness penetrated everything. Lelouch used every pan, bowl, and pot he could find to catch the leaks, but it wasn't enough, and the constant dripping made Lelouch wonder if this was what Chinese water torture was like.

The worst part, however, was the boredom. There was only so much a person could do inside. Suzaku tried to help as best as he could, bringing books, puzzles, and games, but it wasn't long until the children blew through them all.

It was about when Lelouch won their fifth game of Go Fish that Suzaku snapped.

"That's it," he growled, throwing down the cards. "I have to get out of here."

"Going home so soon?" Lelouch teased. "What a sore loser."

"That's not it!" Suzaku said defensively. "This place is driving me crazy! It's hot, stuffy, and boring! I need to get out!"

"Well, if our home is _so_ unbearable, why do you bother coming at all?" Lelouch snapped. "I'm sure you would be much more comfortable in your own house!" It had been bothering Lelouch for days. The storehouse had become a prison, but Suzaku kept coming, trudging through puddles and mud with nothing but an umbrella for protection.

"Because you two are here," Suzaku replied, as if it should have been obvious. "Being bored with you and Nunnally is way better than being bored by myself."

Lelouch's face softened slightly and he blushed, slightly embarrassed by his outburst. The heat was getting to him. "…then why do you want to leave?"

Suzaku laughed. "I didn't say _leave_, I said I wanted to get out!"

"_Outside_?" Lelouch asked, glancing dubiously out the water streaked window.

"Yeah! The rain's not so bad, and anyway, it's better than staying in here."

"I think it sounds like fun!" Nunnally added enthusiastically.

Between the two of them, Lelouch was outnumbered (what else was new?) so he begrudgingly agreed.

But he couldn't regret it once he felt the cool mist hit his face. Suzaku had been right; the rain was perfect, heavy enough to accumulate, but not bad enough to be uncomfortable.

"It feels so good," Nunnally said, tilting her head back to catch more drops.

Suzaku grinned and grabbed the back of Nunnally's wheelchair. Going into a run, he pushed her through a large puddle, water splashing with the force.

Nunnally squealed in delight, outstretching her arms as if she was flying.

Lelouch watched, a bit irritated that all that time he had spent outfitting Nunnally in rain gear had proven to be wasted.

"You two are soaked!" he teased from the safety of his umbrella.

Suzaku glanced up, eyes challenging. "Yeah, want to join us?"

Before he had time to react, a clump of mud hit Lelouch's arms, knocking the umbrella out of his hands.

Lelouch glared at Suzaku murderously. "You're going to pay for that."

"Come and get me, princess," Suzaku called, grinning.

Lelouch charged, tackling a very surprised Suzaku and bringing him to the spongy ground.

Suzaku was quick to retaliate, flipping Lelouch over. The prince flailed under Suzaku's weight as the boy forced a clump of sodden earth under his shirt.

Nunnally giggled. "I don't need eyes to see that you two are a mess. Why are boys so silly?" The age old question for girls everywhere.

"Silly, are we?" Suzaku asked. "Well, maybe if we give you a nice big hug, it'll rub off on you."

"No!" Nunnally cried, trying to wheel away. But she wasn't fast enough. Suzaku and Lelouch were quick to capture her, laughing as they smothered her in a muddy embrace, complete with damp brown kisses.

By the end of the afternoon, all parties were wet, happy, and resembling inhabitants of the Black Lagoon.

"We all need baths," Lelouch muttered, glancing down at his clothes.

"Yeah, but it was worth it!" Suzaku cried enthusiastically.

"Says the boy with indoor plumbing," Lelouch retorted.

But even as he said those words, he was smiling.

* * *

The servants didn't even bother asking where Suzaku was going anymore. They knew full well where, as well as the fact that nothing they said was going to make the boy listen. Telling his father was equally useless. Genbu couldn't have cared less what his son did, as long as he stayed out of his way.

This was convenient for Suzaku, who didn't have to worry about anything more than a few clucking tongues as he made his escape.

He didn't think he would be able to convince Lelouch to participate in another Great Mud War, so he had armed himself with an old game of checkers and a few picture books he hadn't read since he was six. It wasn't much, but Suzaku was running out of resources, and his self esteem couldn't take playing cards with Lelouch again. He doubted he would do much better with checkers, but at least it was something new.

The rain was much worse than yesterday. It pitched sideways, silver in what was left of the afternoon sunlight, and almost deafening in its contact with the ground. It meant that Lelouch was probably going to be in a foul mood. Lately, it seemed like his emotions directly correlated with the rain cycle.

Nevertheless, Suzaku had never let a little moodiness scare him, so he pushed the creaky old door open without hesitation. "Lelouch, Nunnally, I'm back!"

Lelouch cast an irritated glance in his direction. "Shhh!" he hissed. "Nunnally's sleeping."

Yep, there was that bad temper. How predictable. Still, his words were somewhat concerning.

"Sleeping? At this time of day? That's not like her. Is she okay?" Suzaku asked, brow furrowed.

Lelouch shook his head. "No. She's shivering, and she has a fever. I keep piling on blankets, but I don't know what to do. She's sick and I don't know what to do!" The words came out in a panicked rush as Lelouch gave his sister's sweaty hand a squeeze.

Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's shoulders. "Calm down. Breathe. We'll figure something out."

Nodding, Lelouch relaxed a fraction. "I just don't know how this happened! She was fine yesterday!" And this was entirely a child's logic, because most people are fine before sickness.

Dropping his umbrella next to her bed, Suzaku took Nunnally's other hand and tried not to show his alarm when he felt its heat. It wouldn't do for him to have a nervous breakdown as well.

"Hey Nunnally," he murmured. "How are you feeling?"

The little girl stirred slightly at his touch. "I'm…cold," she whispered. "So cold."

For some reason, looking down at her tiny, shivering body made Suzaku remember his old nanny. The woman had been a tyrant, and whenever Suzaku had gotten out of the bathtub, she had always attacked him with a towel, rubbing at him relentlessly as if she was hoping to cause baldness.

"_You need to dry yourself off properly, Suzaku. You'll get sick in a heartbeat otherwise."_

Initially, he had scoffed, just the mutterings from an insane old lady, but now he was wondering with horror if there was any truth to that.

"It's my fault," Suzaku whispered. "I took her outside yesterday and she got wet. That must be why this happened."

"No," Nunnally croaked. "I had a lot of fun playing in the rain. Don't blame yourself."

Lelouch sighed. "You're not to blame, anyway. You can't get sick just from getting wet. There are a lot of things that cause illness. And besides, if that were the case, we'd _all _be sick. The question is, what are we going to do now? If Nunnally's sick, this probably isn't the best place for her. She needs help," Lelouch pointed out. It appeared he had gathered his thoughts and the big brother instinct was kicking in.

"Then let's take her to a doctor!" Suzaku said. "I'm sure we could find someone to drive us."

"Who? We're the enemy here, Suzaku. No one cares," Lelouch replied bitterly.

Suzaku squared his shoulders. "_I_ care. And if no one else will, then I'll take her myself." And before Lelouch could voice a word of protest, he hoisted Nunnally onto his back.

"You're going to _carry_ her all the way into town?" Lelouch asked incredulously.

"Yes," Suzaku said simply. "The road's too muddy and slippery for her wheelchair, so I'll carry her."

"That's crazy!" Lelouch cried. It was at least forty-five minute walk, even longer with a little girl on his back. Not to mention that it was still raining, painting the afternoon sky in shades of twilight.

"It'll be fine," Suzaku assured him. "The doctor is a good person. If I can get her there, I'm sure he'll treat her. Don't worry."

And with that, the boy headed out the door.

Lelouch stood there for a moment, mentally calculating the distance and wondering if his friend was being valiant or just stupid.

Finally, Lelouch gave up, throwing his hands up in the air and rushing out after Suzaku.

"Wait!" he called.

Suzaku glanced back. Lelouch was running as fast as his skinny legs could take him, panting and carrying two umbrellas, one protecting him from the drops, another grasped in his hand, presumably for Suzaku.

_Oh right_, Suzaku thought, feeling a bit silly. _An umbrella, of course._ Because it probably wouldn't be the best thing for Nunnally to get wet again, no matter what Lelouch had said.

So he stood there, allowing Lelouch to catch up and waiting for the boy to regain his breath.

"How did you get so far ahead so fast?" Lelouch wheezed.

Suzaku shrugged. "I'm a fast walker."

With Nunnally on his back, Suzaku couldn't carry an umbrella by himself, so Lelouch ended up carrying both, the group huddled close so as to accommodate his arm span.

"It's almost like we're sharing an umbrella," Suzaku remarked.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"

Suzaku blushed. "Nothing, just making an observation."

* * *

Lelouch had always hated the walk into town. The path was nothing more than an old gravel road which mostly went downhill. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that going back meant walking uphill, and by then he usually had a basket of heavy groceries.

To make matters worse, true to his word, Suzaku _was _a fast walker. It was all Lelouch could do to keep up. But he understood his urgency, so he swallowed down any complaint.

However, nothing could prevent the very obvious physical indicators of his silent suffering.

Suzaku cut him a side glance, alarmed by Lelouch's heavy breathing. "Don't tell me I have to carry _you _too."

"No," Lelouch insisted, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

"Good, because we're almost there," Suzaku promised.

He and Suzaku had very different concepts of distance, so Lelouch took this assurance with a grain of salt, but it turned out to be true as he spotted the town's familiar lights.

The local clinic was a small, white building with a flat roof. Probably in an attempt to offset the initial drab appearance, there were numerous pots of multicolored flowers placed strategically around the front of the building. The blossoms might have been pretty on a sunny day, but right then they were merely pathetic, half drowned plants barely clinging on to life. Lelouch supposed human beings were like that as well.

The inside wasn't much better. It was a collection of white tile, brown carpet, and yellow plastic chairs. The air was sterile, as ugly and clean as the furniture. Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally, resplendent in dirty shoes and wet, windswept appearance, were entirely out of place.

Unperturbed, Suzaku marched towards the front desk, Lelouch shadowing behind him as if pulled by an invisible string.

"Excuse me, but this girl is sick. She needs to see the doctor," he said, surprisingly polite. He was wearing his "adult face," the one he sported while talking to his father or while explaining to mothers that he had no idea how their children had gotten a black eye.

The man at the desk looked up from his computer, eyes locking on the group, most notably Lelouch and Nunnally. His face hardened.

"Do you have an appointment?" he asked.

Suzaku faltered. "Well…no, but—"

"I don't know how they do it in _Britannia_," the secretary cut him off, "but here, we require appointments. Now, if that's all, would you please leave? We're very busy, and I have a lot of work to do."

Suzaku glanced towards the waiting area. There were a total of two people sitting in the hard plastic chairs, pretending to be engrossed in outdated magazines. He frowned, leaning forward to look at the secretary's computer screen.

"Hey! You can't look at that!" the man snapped, hurriedly turning his screen out of sight, but not fast enough.

"I didn't realize Minesweeper was so consuming," Suzaku said hotly, eyes bright and face flushed.

Lelouch had seen that face and heard that tone often enough to know it preceded a fight, and while he himself was bristling from the blatant racism (he didn't understand the conversation, but he didn't need to), the last thing he wanted was for Suzaku to get in trouble.

So he reached out, lacing his fingers with the Japanese boy and giving his hand a tug. "Come on. We don't _need_ their help," Lelouch said, casting a pointed glare towards the secretary and their onlookers. "Let's just go."

But Suzaku would not be subdued. He gave Lelouch's hand a squeeze, but didn't allow himself to be pulled away.

"No, I'm not leaving! What's wrong with you people?" Suzaku demanded, practically shaking in rage. "I walked all this way because this little girl is sick, but do you see that? No! You don't see a child, you only see Britannia!"

"I never said that!" the secretary said defensively.

"You didn't have to," Suzaku retorted, coldly. "Your prejudice is clear on your face. Britannia, Japan, what does it matter? She's a person, and she needs a doctor! That should be the only thing that matters!"

"I agree," a soft, feminine voice replied.

Startled, Suzaku looked up to see a short, slender woman dressed in a white coat, with her long brown hair bound in a messy bun.

"Sensei!" the secretary gasped. "I'm sorry, we're these children disturbing you?"

The woman, apparently the man's employer, smiled, all teeth and no warmth. "No, you were. I didn't realize you were in the habit of turning patients away."

"No! I was…I was just," the man stuttered.

"You were just about to send them in, correct?" the doctor finished for him sweetly.

The man nodded bonelessly, stupid and helpless, and the woman ushered the children in to her office.

"By the way," she called over her shoulder, "I would like you to clean out your desk after you finish your little game. You're fired." With that, she shut the door, leaving her secretary to stare at it, mouth gaping.

She turned towards the boys, face much softer. "Hello, my name is Dr. Megumi," she said in softly accented Britannian. "And you are…?"

Suzaku blushed, "I'm Suzaku, and this is Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Nunnally is the one with the problem, correct?" Megumi asked. Suzaku nodded in confirmation, and she smiled. "Then let's take a look."

Carefully, Suzaku lowered Nunnally onto the examination table.

"What happened to Minato-sensei?" Suzaku asked. The man had been treating Suzaku since he was a baby.

"He retired, and unfortunately, he took his secretary with him," Megumi replied. "I'm new in town, so I'm still getting the hang of things. Miss Nunnally, would you open your mouth please?"

The girl obeyed, and the young doctor carefully stuck a tongue depressor down Nunnally's throat. If she thought it strange that the girl never opened her eyes, Megumi didn't show it.

"Her throat is definitely enflamed. Has it felt sore at all?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Nunnally admitted quietly. "It hurts to swallow."

"She's had a fever since this morning and she's been coughing," Lelouch added.

The doctor nodded and proceeded to check Nunnally's temperature.

"She's going to be fine," she assured the two worried boys. "She just has the flu. That's been going around lately, especially with the change in season. I'll give you some antibiotics, and she should be good as new in a few days."

"That's good," Suzaku sighed.

But Lelouch's eyes were narrowed. "What do we owe you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Owe me?"

"Nothing's free, we must owe you something," Lelouch insisted.

"Skeptical little thing, aren't you. You don't owe me anything. I think the hard time you had at the front desk is payment enough," Megumi assured him.

Lelouch shook his head. "I don't accept that. I don't want to be indebted anyone. Just tell me your price, and I'll figure out how to pay it."

The doctor looked at him sadly. "It really is impossible for you to believe that a person would do something merely out of the kindness of their heart, isn't it?"

Lelouch looked momentarily taken aback, but he didn't back down and Megumi sighed. "But I suppose you haven't been given much reason to believe otherwise. What if I told you my offer to help is out of selfishness?"

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked skeptically.

"I believe in karma, that if you do good for others, good will happen to you. I'm not really helping you as much as trying to earn cosmic brownie points."

If anything, Lelouch just looked more disbelieving. "That sounds silly and illogical."

Megumi laughed. "Yes, well we Japanese are a superstitious lot."

"It's okay, Lelouch," Nunnally said. "She's a good person. I can tell."

Casting an uncertain look at his sister, Lelouch sighed and nodded. "Fine."

"Great! Now, do you need to call someone to pick you up?" Megumi asked.

"No, we walked here," Suzaku replied.

Megumi's eyes widened. "You…walked? All the way from the Kururugi Shrine?" Of course she knew who Suzaku was. Everyone knew the prime minister's son.

Nunnally nodded, "Uh huh. Suzaku carried me the whole way, and Lelouch held the umbrella so we didn't get too wet."

"But it's almost dark! I can't allow you to walk back by yourselves!" Megumi said.

"We'll be okay," Suzaku insisted. "I can handle anything we might come across."

She smiled indulgently at the boy's bravado (although he could back up those words far better than she realized). "That may be true, but think about Nunnally. It's not good for a sick girl to be out in this weather."

Lelouch bristled. "We wouldn't have done it if we had any other choice!"

Megumi held up her hands placatingly. "I'm not judging you. Nunnally is a very lucky girl to have people who love her so much, but as a doctor and an adult, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist you call someone. I'd take you myself, but I don't have a car, so I'm afraid you'll end up spending the night here otherwise."

Suzaku frowned. "Fine. Can I borrow your phone?"

He ended up phoning a very grumpy housekeeper. He explained the basic situation to her, and after a long lecture, she agreed to "figure something out."

Suzaku grimaced. He was in for it when she got here.

But much to his surprise, the one who pulled up to the doctor's office was not the housekeeper, but Tohdoh.

"Sensei!" Suzaku cried, running up to the man eagerly. "I didn't know you were in town!" Indeed, if he had, he would have come to Tohdoh in the first place.

Tohdoh smiled a bit wearily. "I just got back. I'll probably be here for a couple days."

"How did you know we were here?" Lelouch asked.

"Servants talk," the man said simply. "I hadn't arrived more than five minutes before I heard what happened. I figured it would better if I came to get you, and the housekeeper was happy to oblige."

So, the children obediently filed into Tohdoh's car, Suzaku in front, with Lelouch and Nunnally in the back seat.

Tohdoh's flat gaze focused on the road as his hands clenched the steering wheel. "You realize how stupid this little stunt of yours was, right?"

"What else were we supposed to do?" Suzaku asked. "Nunnally needed help!"

"And your actions could have made her worse!" Tohdoh snapped. "Or you all could have gotten hurt! This weather isn't safe, Suzaku. I thought you knew better than that!"

"Don't yell at Suzaku," Nunnally said. "He was just trying to help me. Both of them were."

Tohdoh sighed, sharp eyes softening by a fraction. "You should have told someone, rather than do everything all on your own."

"And who would we have told?" Lelouch demanded. "Nobody cares about a little Britannian hostage!"

"Didn't this little outing prove that isn't true?" Tohdoh pointed out. "Don't generalize people based on the actions of a few. Isn't that prejudice exactly what you and your sister have been suffering?"

Lelouch gaped, speechless.

Tohdoh glanced at the boy's stunned face and sighed once again. "Look, I'll be the first to admit that you children are amazing, but you're still just children. Everyone needs help sometimes, so don't underestimate us adults. We might surprise you."

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Suzaku said quietly.

"We all are," Nunnally added.

"I don't want you to be sorry; I want you to be smarter. Can you do that?" Tohdoh asked, his question quickly answered by a unison of nods. "Good. We're back, so let's get out of the car."

Tohdoh escorted the trio to the storehouse and then walked back to the main estate, as he had a meeting with Suzaku's father. Remembering the doctor's orders, Nunnally was immediately put to bed.

Suzaku and Lelouch however, stood outside the door for a little longer, watching the rain fall down, just barely out of the drops' reach.

"Thanks," Lelouch said quietly. "For Nunnally I mean."

"It's no problem," Suzaku said dismissively.

"No, I mean it," Lelouch insisted. "You didn't have to do any of that, and I really appreciate it."

Suzaku smiled. "You're welcome."

They stood there, allowing the rain to fill the silence, before Lelouch spoke again. "Tohdoh was right you know. Not all Japanese are the same, and it was close minded of me to talk like that. There are people out there, like you, Tohdoh, and that doctor that are willing to look past race and just see people, and that makes me glad."

"Yeah, I think so too. But Lelouch, even if there isn't anyone else, you know I'll always be there, right? Whenever you need me, I'll do whatever I can to help you, no matter what," Suzaku said, voice full of sincerity.

"And I promise to return the favor." Lelouch smiled, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Even if it means harboring you from the cops."

"What do you mean by that?" Suzaku demanded. "If anyone is a future criminal here, it's definitely you!"

"I'm not the brute with the uncontrollable temper!" Lelouch retorted.

"I only get into fights because you always rub everyone the wrong way!" Suzaku snapped back.

Inside, nestled deeply in the cocoon of her bed, Nunnally listened to the good natured arguing with a smile. It was still raining outside, but that was okay because she was certain that it would clear up soon.

No one could have known that there was a storm looming on the horizon.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I did this piece partially on request. **Aki1 **pointed out a picture in the first Code Geass ending theme in which Suzaku was carrying Nunnally on his back, with Lelouch chasing them down with umbrellas. She hinted that it would be good prompt, so I wrote this story with that scene in mind.

By the way, Suzaku and Lelouch's actions are extremely ill advised, so do not try that at home.

**Reviews please?**


	12. July Part I

**Author's Note:** Unfortunately, I missed Tanabata. Yet another deadline missed. I really need to get my priorities straight.

**Warnings: **Two little boys sleeping together. Actual _sleeping_.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Code Geass, or the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.

* * *

**July: Part I**

Lelouch couldn't claim to be an expert on Japanese traditions. He had been raised to believe that Britannia was supreme, and all other cultures were inferior and primitive. It wasn't an upbringing that bred understanding. Lelouch was gradually changing, was trying to learn the language even, but years of conditioning couldn't be erased in only a few months.

So when Suzaku came over dragging a bamboo tree behind him, Lelouch's first conclusion had been that his friend had gone insane.

"What are you _doing_?" Lelouch demanded.

"Getting the bamboo ready for Tanabata," Suzaku replied, which probably made perfect sense to him, but was incomprehensible to Lelouch.

"Tanabata?" Nunnally asked, apparently sharing her brother's confusion. "What's that?"

Suzaku sighed, setting his bamboo down. "It means "evening of the seventh." It's a star festival that celebrates the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi, said to only happen on the seventh day of the seventh month."

"And the bamboo?" Lelouch prompted.

"We write wishes on little pieces of paper and tie it to the tree branches. The belief is that if you do this, the two deities will grant your wish," Suzaku explained.

"Why only the seventh of July?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku shrugged. "There's a whole story behind it. I'll tell it to you later. For now, why don't we start writing out wishes?"

It all sounded it a bit strange to Lelouch, but he supposed it wasn't any stranger than dragging a pine tree into your living room so that a fat man could break in to your house and put gifts underneath it. And besides, it was clearly important to Suzaku, and Nunnally looked so excited about it, he didn't make any further comments.

Suzaku and Nunnally's wishes were basically the same as the ones expressed at New Years. Nunnally wanted them all to be together forever, and Suzaku wished for strength. Lelouch wasn't as forthcoming with his own wish. He had craned his arms to the furthest branch he could reach, attempting to keep the wish out of eyesight, but Suzaku had wrestled it out of his hands.

"Come on, Lelouch! What could be so embarr—" Suzaku paused, eyes widening as he read the script. (Why did his Britannian have to be so much better than Lelouch's Japanese?)

_I wish that Nunnally could walk on the beach and watch the sun rise._

The wish was simple, yet impossible. Suzaku looked towards his friend, but Lelouch stubbornly refused to meet his gaze.

"Don't leave us in suspense!" Nunnally cried cheerfully. "What does it say?"

Suzaku smiled, tenderly tying the little paper to a branch. "He wants to be a better cook. What a girly wish," he teased. Knowing such an impossible desire would only place a burden on Nunnally, and neither boy wanted that.

"But Lelouch is a great cook already!" Nunnally protested.

The prince shot Suzaku a glare, but it lacked malice. "There is always room for improvement."

* * *

"Do we really have to wear these again?" Lelouch asked, shrugging on yet another one of Suzaku's kimonos.

"Yes," Suzaku insisted. "You can't go to a Tanabata festival without wearing a yukata."

At least this version was simpler than the kimono from New Year's. It was a single layer of loose blue cotton, very simple without much embroidery. Suzaku's was more or less the same, except his was light gray with some kind of fish decoration near the hem.

Naturally, Nunnally's was a more elaborate affair, snow white and intricately embroidered with red butterflies and pink flowers. Suzaku had even attempted to place a pink comb in her hair. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to go about it, and Lelouch had to take his place for fear that Suzaku's ministrations would cause premature baldness.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Lelouch admitted.

"You never think anything is a good idea," Suzaku retorted, rolling his eyes. "It's like you hate fun."

"I don't hate fun!" Lelouch protested. "I just…don't like crowds." Suffocating throngs of people with their hard eyes and heated whispers which could so easily turn into angry mobs, reaching out for him and Nunnally…

Suzaku smiled in understanding and put an affectionate hand on his friends shoulder, "Hey, don't worry. I'll be there if anything happens."

"I know," Lelouch answered. And he _did _know. He had seen Suzaku in action enough to realize the sincerity in the boy's words.

But the sense of foreboding in the back of his mind remained.

* * *

The town had been transformed into an explosion of light, color, and sound. The streets were lined with paper lanterns and brightly colored booths that emanated all manner of delicious smells. People happily browsed the carts in their rainbow assortment of yukatas as vendors advertised their wares, and children ran through the streets with plastic masks and paper fans. It was a tiny bubble of warmth and laughter, where troubles could be forgotten, if only for one night.

At least, until a physical representation of said troubles burst the ephemeral sphere.

The Britannian whelps joined their number, acting as if Japan already belonged to them, the little girl dressed sweetly in her pretty yukata, a wolf in sheep's clothing. And pushing her wheelchair was the Kururugi boy. This was perhaps the greatest insult. A proud son of Japan already enslaving himself to the enemy.

Lelouch glanced around warily. Just as he had expected, there wasn't a welcome face in the crowd.

The chilly reception wasn't lost on Suzaku, and he inched closer to Lelouch protectively. "Maybe you were right," Suzaku admitted. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Do you want to leave?"

"No," Lelouch said firmly. "We have as much right to be here as anyone else. They won't scare us away."

Suzaku nodded. "Okay. Do you want to go goldfish scooping?"

The vendor was reluctant to take their money at first, but after a joint hard glare from Lelouch and Suzaku, he eventually relented. They were far more intimidating than their age suggested.

"It's all in the wrist," Suzaku explained. "You just flick the paddles and scoop up the fish."

They tried, Lelouch on his own, with Suzaku guiding Nunnally's hands, but their paddles kept breaking. No matter how many times they attempted to catch a goldfish, the paper would give way, and the little animal would escape.

"I don't understand!" Suzaku cried, frustrated. "I'm usually good at this. Why are these paddles so flimsy?"

"Don't blame the paddles," the vendor retorted. "Do you want to give it another go?"

"If we keep trying, we're going to run out of money," Lelouch pointed out. He suspected Suzaku would keep at it all night if they let him.

"Here, try this one," a slightly muffled voice said.

She was a young woman dressed in a sunflower kimono. Her hair was such a jet shade of black Lelouch doubted it was her natural color, and her face was covered by a yellow plastic mask. In her pale hands was a fresh paddle.

"Don't you want to use it?" Suzaku asked.

The woman laughed. "No, what would a do with a goldfish? I'm not exactly the caretaker type."

"Hey, you can't exchange your paddle!" the goldfish peddler protested.

"Why?" the woman asked, amused. "Because you can't tamper with one you have already sold? Scamming a bunch of children, don't you think that's a bit petty?"

The man's ears turned pink.

"That's what I thought." She turned back to Suzaku. "Here you go, boy. Catch yourself a big one."

In the end, Nunnally caught the fish, although it was Suzaku that directed her hands. Suzaku insisted she was a natural fisherwoman, but Nunnally just laughed it off.

"What are you going to name it?" Lelouch asked.

Nunnally thought about it for a moment. "Suzalulu," she decided.

"What kind of name is that?" Suzaku asked, eyebrows raised.

Nunnally giggled. "I combined the names of my two favorite people! Don't you think it's cute?"

"Uh…sure, I guess. But we wouldn't have been able to catch him without you—" Suzaku began, turning back to face the woman.

She had disappeared.

* * *

Nunnally didn't have custody of Suzalulu for more than five minutes before she gave him away to a crying four year old who hadn't been lucky enough to catch one on his own.

"You'd probably be able to take much better care of him than me," she said, her Japanese broken but understandable.

The child smiled sweetly. "_Arigatou, nee-chan!_" he said, cupping the little fish in his palms before running off to tell his mother.

"What did he say?" Nunnally asked. "I understood thank you, but what does _nee-chan_ mean?"

Suzaku smiled. "It means big sister."

"Nobody's called me big sister before," Nunnally admitted. "I've always been the little sister."

"Well, younger children usually call older kids they don't know big brother or big sister. It's common," Suzaku replied with a shrug.

"So it's like everyone is in one big family? That's nice," Nunnally said.

"I've never really thought about it that way, but I guess it is," Suzaku remarked thoughtfully. "Want to play a shooting game next?"

The second vendor was a bit more forthcoming than the first, but Lelouch suspected this was only because his game was so rigged he didn't expect them to do anything more than waste their money.

It was disconcerting to see such a small boy, someone Lelouch had spent almost every single day with for the past eleven months, carrying a rifle. He couldn't help but think of the person who shot his mother, how they might have had a gun exactly like that one, except not a toy, very real and very deadly.

Even worse was that Suzaku was a good shot. Lelouch doubted that the vendor would have let him play had he known of the boy's skills. The game consisted of balloons stuck to a wall. The smaller the balloon hit, the bigger the prize. In a single game, Suzaku had won most of the large prizes, but was gracious enough to walk away with only a small pink rabbit for Nunnally (who promptly dubbed it Suzalulu number two).

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku shrugged. "I asked Tohdoh-sensei to teach me a few years ago. We never spent much time on it, and to be honest, I prefer archery, but I went to the range often enough to know my way around a gun."

"Why would you want to learn something like that?" Lelouch exclaimed.

"I plan to be a soldier like Sensei when I grow up," Suzaku replied. "It's good to learn that kind of stuff now."

_Suzaku as a soldier, being used as canon fodder by foolish politicians, and dying on the battlefield anonymous and alone._

"No!" Lelouch shouted. "I don't want you to become a soldier! You can't!"

_Suzaku lying on the ground, body covered in blood and full of bullet holes. Green eyes sightless, Nunnally horrified and screaming as Lelouch merely looked on at the boy who had been alive just a minute ago._

"Suzaku, please," he whispered. "Don't be like Mother."

Suzaku tilted his head, unable to hear the words and unable to understand. "Lelouch, what—?"

"Look, it's the _Buriki _trash." The voice was young with a heavy accent. He barely understood the Britannian words he was saying, just that they were insulting. He came with friends, and they laughed as if he had just said something clever.

"_What do you want, Koichi?"_ Suzaku demanded, slipping into Japanese.

The boy laughed. _"I want to know what happened to the great Kururugi Suzaku. You used to be the terror of the village, and now you're nothing more than a Britannian lap dog!"_

Suzaku smirked. _"I can still whip you in a fight."_

"_You sure about that? They are so many of us, and I'm willing to bet those pampered princesses have never thrown a punch in their lives. That girl can't even walk! Easy prey!" _Koichi jeered.

Suzaku growled. "_You stay away from her!"_

"_Or what? What will you do?" _one of Koichi's cronies called.

Suzaku launched himself at the ringleader. Following his cue, the group swarmed, surrounding the Japanese boy on all sides with the power of numbers.

But it was like pitting half a dozen bows and arrows against a single machine gun. There was no comparison between the two because they were in completely different leagues. Suzaku was too fast for their numbers to matter. Soon everyone else was down for the count, and Suzaku descended on the leader, pinning him to the ground and punching his face over and over.

Lelouch watched, eyes wide. He had seen Suzaku fight before, many times, but never like this. Never with this blind, wild rage. It reminded him of when he and Suzaku had first met. Lelouch could remember thinking: _This boy is a monster, and he isn't going to stop until he kills me._

But he hadn't seen that look in Suzaku's eyes in months, and it was so at odds with the light that usually resided there, that bright warmth in his gaze and in his smile. That boy was disappearing to the monster, and Lelouch couldn't allow it.

"Stop it, Suzaku!" he cried, running out and pulling his friend's fist back. "Just stop! That's enough!"

Suzaku blinked slowly, following the line of Lelouch's arm up to his face. Slowly, he unclenched his other hand from Koichi's shirt and allowed himself to be pulled up.

Koichi, face bruised and bloody, laughed from his place on the ground. _"See! A year ago you would have torn me apart, but you let this boy tame you, Britannian pet!"_

Suzaku turned around slowly, face alight with fury, and took a single threatening step forward.

The collection of children took that as their cue to scatter, abandoning the scene like sailors jumping ship, with their captain running not far behind.

"_You better run!" _Suzaku yelled, but didn't bother to give chase. Instead, he turned towards Lelouch, looking for all the world like nothing had happened, and asked a simple question.

"Are you hungry?"

* * *

The festival participants weren't too thrilled with a fight breaking out in the street, so the group was quickly banished to the small lake on the edge of town.

"I was going to take you two here anyway," Suzaku said dismissively when Nunnally attempted to apologize for the trouble.

"Plus, it's his fault for rising to such obvious bait," Lelouch pointed out.

"How would you know?" Suzaku demanded. "Your Japanese sucks!"

"I'm getting better," Lelouch retorted. "And you don't have to be a genius to understand trash talk."

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Here, have some takoyaki," he offered, holding out a little cardboard box of what looked like seasoned meatballs on toothpicks. "I got them from one of the booths before they made us leave."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "When did you do that? And anyway, after all that trouble, who'd be willing to accept your money?"

Suzaku smiled a bit devilishly. "Let's just say that they won't be missed."

"What are they?" Lelouch asked dubiously.

"I'll tell you after you try one," Suzaku replied, reinforcing Lelouch's suspicions.

"I'll take one!" Nunnally volunteered.

"Wait a second, Nunnally!" Lelouch protested. "We don't know what those are or where they've been!"

"Don't be silly," Nunnally retorted. "It's not like Suzaku's going to poison us." She picked up a speared morsel and popped it into her mouth. She smiled. "It's good!"

Lelouch took one and ate it cautiously. "Not bad," he agreed reluctantly. "What is it?"

Suzaku beamed. "Fried octopus balls!"

Lelouch had taken the liberty to take another ball, and Suzaku's declaration very nearly made him choke on it. "_Octopus_? You just fed Nunnally and me _octopus_!"

"I knew you'd never try takoyaki if I told you it was made out of octopus. You said it was good, so what's the problem?" Suzaku said defensively.

"…Well, nothing I guess. It's just…it's _octopus_," Lelouch protested, unable to get the tentacled sea creature out of his mind.

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "You Britannians are so picky. If you don't want any more, then more for me and Nunnally."

"Fine," Lelouch said begrudgingly. The takoyaki was divided into thirds and eaten without any more complaint.

"Now, for the piez de resistanz!" Suzaku declared excitedly.

"You mean _pièce de résistance_?" Lelouch corrected, smiling at his friend's butchered pronunciation.

"Whatever," Suzaku said somewhat irritably. "Just look at what I have!"

When they had left the house, Suzaku had taken a small pack with him. Lelouch had assumed it was in order to carry money and possible prizes, but apparently it had another purpose.

Shrugging the bag off his back, Suzaku unzipped it to reveal its contents. Fireworks.

With a smile, Suzaku gave everyone a sparkler. Lelouch didn't bother asking where he had gotten them, mostly because he didn't think Suzaku would give him a straight answer.

"Is this safe?" Lelouch asked warily, glancing down at the grass beneath them.

"Oh yeah," Suzaku assured him. "Just as long as nobody drops one."

"It's warm," Nunnally remarked with a smile. "I can hear it crackling. It's like holding a star in my hands."

"Still, it would be bad if we started a fire," Lelouch pointed out, holding his stick carefully with both hands.

"What, are you scared?" Suzaku challenged.

"No," Lelouch insisted. "I'm just being safety conscious."

"So you wouldn't be scared if I did…this?" For the second time that night, Suzaku lunged forward. Before Lelouch knew it, the boy was chasing him, their sparklers leaving trails of light like supersonic fireflies.

But all good things must come to an end. Slowly the glowing sticks faded and died out, inexplicably reminding Lelouch of the human condition.

Panting, Suzaku collapsed on the grass. "That was fun."

Lelouch nodded, but before lying next to his friend, he awkwardly scooped Nunnally out of her chair to place her in the grass.

"There are so many stars," Lelouch remarked, looking up at the bright balls of gas, flaring like a million sparklers. "They're beautiful."

"They're the same as the ones in Britannia, aren't they?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah, but the lights of the city usually block them out," Lelouch replied. And this was so typical of Britannia, so big and bright and smug in its believed supremacy; never giving anything else the chance to shine, not even the stars.

"Which ones are they?" Lelouch asked suddenly.

Suzaku furrowed his brows in confusion. "Who do you mean?"

"Orihime and Hikoboshi," Lelouch elaborated. "You said Tanabata was a star festival, so I assume Orihime and Hikoboshi are stars."

Suzaku smiled and grasped Lelouch's hand. With it, he traced a picture in the sky. "See that little constellation that kind if looks like a kite or a square fish? That's the Koto. Orihime is that star on the right side of the tail," Suzaku explained.

"You mean Lyra," Lelouch said, remembering a book of constellations he had read many months ago. "And in Britannia, we call that star Vega. What about Hikoboshi?"

Still holding Lelouch's hand, Suzaku pulled it towards another small cluster. "Over here is Washi. It means eagle. See, don't the angled bits on the bottom look like wings? Hikoboshi is that really bright star where the wings meet."

"The constellation Aquila," Lelouch remarked with a smile. "If I remember right, Aquila means eagle too. And the Britannian name for Hikoboshi is Altair."

"You know, Britannia and Japan really are different," Nunnally, who had been mostly just listening before this point, remarked. "But they both have the same stars and the same sky, so maybe the two aren't as different as everyone thinks."

Lelouch smiled and grabbed his little sister's hand, entwining their fingers and forming a sort of chain with Suzaku. "I wish everyone could think like that Nunnally. I really do."

Nunnally smiled a bit sadly. "Me too."

There was a few moments of melancholy silence before Nunnally breached it again. "So what's the story?" she asked. "You said that there was a story behind the Tanabata festival."

"Oh, that's right!" Suzaku exclaimed. "I forgot about that."

"Well, tell us now then," Lelouch prompted.

"Well, a long time ago—" Suzaku began.

"It's always a long time ago, isn't it? Stories can never seem to happen recently. It's always a long time ago in a land far far away," Lelouch remarked, rolling his eyes. "It's all so predictable."

"Do _you _want to tell the story then, smart one?" Suzaku demanded, annoyed (but secretly embarrassed because the next words out of his mouth had indeed been "in a land far far away").

Lelouch shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. Please continue."

"Okay then. There was once a princess named Orihime. She was the daughter of Tentei, the Star King, and she was known for weaving beautiful cloth by the bank of the heavenly river, Amanogawa." At this, Suzaku again moved Lelouch's hand across the sky, indicating the Milky Way, his Amanogawa.

"However, Orihime was very sad. Because she worked so hard, she wasn't able to meet or fall in love with anyone, so her father had her meet Hikoboshi, the cow herder who lived on the other side of the river. They immediately fell in love and soon married."

_Why would a king let his daughter to marry a cow herd? _Lelouch wondered. His own father would have never allowed such a disadvantageous marriage for any of his sisters, but perhaps Tentei was a lot nicer than the Emperor.

"However," Suzaku continued, "after the marriage, Orihime and Hikoboshi spent so much time with each other, they no longer paid attention to their work. Orihime wouldn't weave the cloth her father loved so much, and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to wander all across the sky. Tentei was so angry by this that he separated the two, forcing them on the opposite sides of the Amanogawa."

_Okay, maybe not so nice,_ Lelouch amended.

Nunnally seemed to agree. "That's too cruel, forcing a couple apart like that!"

Suzaku nodded gravely (he wasn't a bad story teller). "Yes. Orihime was devastated by the separation and she begged Tentei to allow them to meet again. Eventually, Tentei said she could see her husband on the seventh day of the seventh month, provided she got all her weaving done."

"I still don't think it's enough," Nunnally said stubbornly. "Husband and wife should be able to meet every day, whenever they want."

Suzaku shrugged, admirably hiding his irritation at the continued interruptions. "Well, I guess her father was just mean like that. Anyway, when Orihime came to meet Hikoboshi, the two soon discovered that they couldn't cross the river because there was no bridge."

"You think they would have thought about that beforehand," Lelouch remarked. "How did they meet in the first place if there was no bridge?"

"Maybe there was a bridge, but the king took it down because he didn't want them to see each other," Nunnally suggested (she was getting very passionate about this).

"I don't know!" Suzaku shouted, frustrated. "Can I get back to the story please?"

"Sorry, Suzaku," Nunnally apologized sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry," Lelouch said.

"Anyway, when Orihime realized that she would be unable to meet her love, she cried so much that a flock of magpies came, and with their wings they made a bridge so she was able to cross the river to see Hikoboshi. And they continue to meet every year on July seventh unless rain prevents the magpies from coming. The end," Suzaku finished with a huff.

Lelouch would have liked to ask why the two lovers just didn't build this bridge themselves, rather than wait for a few kindhearted, but rather unreliable magpies, but he didn't because he suspected Suzaku would snap at him again.

"That was a good story," Nunnally remarked sleepily.

"We should go to bed," Lelouch said. Nunnally was way ahead of them. They could both hear her adorable little snores that she refused to believe that she produced.

"We will in a minute," Suzaku replied. The grass was too soft, the night air cool and comfortable.

Lelouch rolled on his side to face his friend. "Hey, Suzaku?"

Suzaku quickly followed Lelouch's lead and rolled on his side as well. "Yeah, Lelouch?"

"Do you think we'll ever be able to do what they did?" Lelouch asked. "Do you think we'll ever be able to build a bridge, and bring two sides together?"

Suzaku sighed. "I don't know. There's quite an ocean between Britannia and Japan, and there aren't that many magpies around to help us out."

"Yeah, but…haven't we already started?" Lelouch pointed out, giving Suzaku's hand a little squeeze.

Suzaku smiled. "Yeah, I guess we have. And maybe that's enough. Maybe to build a bridge, all you need are two people willing to cross sides. To show others it's possible."

"Maybe," Lelouch agreed, yawning softly.

"We should go to bed," Suzaku said, repeating his friend's earlier sentiment.

"In a minute," Lelouch murmured.

He and Suzaku were so small, so insignificant. But they could make the first step, and maybe that was all that was needed to change the world.

The Britannian prince cast one last sleepy look at the young face so very close to his, and then allowed his eyes to droop closed, still clutching the Japanese boy's hand.

* * *

**Author's Note: **There are several variations of the Tanabata story out there. I more of less copied from Wikipedia, so if I glossed over or messed up a few details, I apologize. I may or may not post something for Suzaku's birthday, depending on motivation and time.

The last little scene was taken from a picture sent to me by **Aynessa**, which for some mysterious reason I was never able to open, but judging by her description of it, this was kind of what the picture looked like. However, if I got it wrong, again, I apologize.

***puppy eyes* Please review?**


	13. July Part II

**Author's Note: **Again, I'm way off with Suzaku's birthday, but at least I got the month right! I actually thought the last chapter ended pretty well, and I would have just made it the second to last chapter, but I promised a few people a two parter, plus I really wanted Kaguya to have an appearance, so I figured one more short chapter couldn't hurt.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Code Geass. If I did, I wouldn't have to buy the box sets.

**Translation notes:**

**Shinai:** A bamboo practice sword

**Bokuto:** A wooden practice sword.

* * *

**July: Part II**

Suzaku hated parties. They were nothing more than a gathering of stiff, boring people with their monotonous conversations of business, golf, and the weather. An event in which Suzaku was forced to sit still, wear a suit, and all in all be seen and not heard.

The fact that this was his _birthday_ made no difference. Suzaku had had no control of the guest list, the attendees all being politically advantageous acquaintances of his father. They had no interest in him, other to inquire about school and pepper him with rapid fire questions meant to test the intelligence of the boy everyone expected to succeed the prime minister.

Their children were even worse. Every one of them were dull, pampered creatures forced to attend by their parents, and ordered to be nice to him because a relationship with a member of the illustrious Houses of Kyoto would be a nice feather in the family cap.

The only indication that this was a child's birthday party was the really very pretty cake in the center of the room that looked more suited for a wedding, and the elegant pile of presents next to it. No one here had any idea of what he wanted, of course. They would have merely gotten him the latest trendy gadgets young boys were supposed to be lusting after, and perhaps a few books and educational games for those who sought to better his mind.

But the one thing Suzaku hated the most is that his birthday was an excuse for the Sumeragi's to visit.

It wasn't as if he had anything against the family personally. Subaru was his favorite uncle, and one of the few people he could get to talk about his mother. It was his daughter Suzaku had a problem with.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Kaguya cried, on her hands and knees as she scrutinized Suzaku from his place under the banquet table. "It's very rude to ignore your guests, you know!"

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me you're not as bored as I am."

"That's not the point!" Kaguya protested (but the slight coloring of his cheeks gave her away). "You can't just hide from your own party!"

"I'm not hiding from the party, just you," Suzaku retorted.

Kaguya scowled, grabbing his arm and physically dragging him out and upright. "You are a stupid, weak boy. It's a shame that my future husband doesn't have more of a backbone."

"And you are a mean, bossy know-it-all. I'd rather have a monkey for a fiancée. At least it would be cuter," Suzaku fired back.

Kaguya's ears turned red. "Yes,that would be a match made in heaven! You two would be intellectual equals!"

"That's enough, you two."

Face lighting up with pleasure, Suzaku ran towards the source of the voice. "Sensei!" he cried. "I didn't know you were coming back today!"

Tohdoh's normally grave face broke out in a small smile. "I wanted to surprise you. I should have known you would be fighting with Kaguya again."

Suzaku frowned. "Do I really have to marry her? She's such an annoying girl."

"It's not like I want it any more than you!" Kaguya complained.

Tohdoh chuckled. "It's not for me to decide what you have to or don't have to do. Your parents decided your engagement, but whether you go through with it is up to you. Just don't tell your father I said that," he added, winking conspiratorially.

Suzaku nodded. "So…did you bring me a present, Sensei?" he asked, trying (and failing) to hide his eagerness.

Kaguya smacked him over the head. "Don't be so greedy! Tohdoh-san only just got here! What makes you think he had time to buy you anything?"

Suzaku glared at the girl, rubbing his head. "Stupid, violent girl," he muttered.

Tohdoh chuckled. "I don't know if that was entirely called for, Kaguya. After all, I did in fact get Suzaku a present."

He deposited a long, thin package into the boy's waiting hands.

"No, is this...?" Suzaku asked wonderingly. Slowly, he pulled apart the paper to reveal a smooth wooden sword.

"It is!" Suzaku declared. "A _bokuto_! You mean I've graduated from the _shinai_?"

"No, both _bokuto _and _shinai_ are useful for practice in their own ways. You shouldn't forget about your _shinai_, but yes, I now believe you are ready for the _bokuto_," Tohdoh said.

"Thank you, Tohdoh-sensei! It's the best present anyone's given me!" Suzaku exclaimed. "Can we start training with it right away?"

Tohdoh smiled at his young pupil's enthusiasm. "How about tomorrow?"

Suzaku's face fell. "We can't start now?"

"Suzaku, you can't leave your own party," Tohdoh chided gently.

"That's what I keep telling him," Kaguya replied, flashing him her annoying _haha I'm right _smile.

"It's not _my _party," Suzaku pointed out sullenly. "It's my father's.

Tohdoh sighed. "I can't leave right now. Your father would miss my presence."

"Okay," Suzaku said, his voice heavy with disappointment.

Tohdoh was a trained soldier as well as a hardened warrior, but not even he could take a child's disappointed face.

"This sure is a big crowd," he remarked casually. "A person could get lost in this crowd. Someone could easily just slink away and be gone for a few hours before anyone noticed."

"You think so?" Suzaku asked, eyes glittering with understanding.

Tohdoh shrugged. "I suppose one wouldn't know unless they tried it. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to find the prime minister."

His declaration fell on death ears. Suzaku was already gone.

* * *

Kaguya was many things. Stubborn, headstrong, and yes, perhaps a bit spoiled. But one thing she was not was stupid. At eight years old, she was at the top of her class, and that was after skipping two grades. She was a Sumeragi after all, practically royalty in her own right, and she was to be the future head of the family. She knew more about politics and diplomacy than most children.

But, at the end of the day, she was still just a child, and there was only so much boredom she could take.

And besides, Suzaku was an idiot. Someone had to go with him to make sure he stayed out of trouble.

"Quit following me!" Suzaku snapped.

"I'm not following you!" Kaguya protested, panting as she tried to keep up with his pace. "I'm just keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't do something stupid."

"Same thing!" Suzaku retorted.

Kaguya scowled. "Where are we going, anyway? I've never been this far from the house before."

"That's none of your business! Go back now!" Suzaku ordered.

"You're not the boss of me! I'll come along if I feel like it!" Kaguya snapped.

"No, you won't," Suzaku said, and then he broke into a run. Kaguya was a girl of many talents, bur running was not one of them. She couldn't keep up.

Kaguya frowned and crossed her arms as Suzaku disappeared from sight, leaving her lost and alone. "Just you wait, Suzaku! I'll find you, as well as what you don't want me to see."

* * *

Suzaku sighed in relief. It looked like he had lost Kaguya, at least for now. She was such an irritating girl, snooty and convinced she was better than everyone else. He couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to have her for a _wife_.

Cringing slightly, Suzaku resolved not to focus on such an unpleasant future. It was better to keep his eyes on the present.

Suzaku smiled as he caught scent of some kind of hearty stew.

"Smells like someone's making dinner," Suzaku remarked as he entered the Britannian siblings' residence.

Lelouch, who was wearing an apron and stirring something in a large pot, cast him an admonishing look. "Don't you ever knock?"

"Nope," Suzaku replied cheerfully.

"What are you doing here, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked from her place at the small kitchen table. "I thought you had a birthday party to go to."

"What, you're not happy to see me?" Suzaku teased, feigning hurt.

Nunnally blushed. "That's not it! I was just wondering what happened. It's not over, is it?"

"No, I just snuck out early," Suzaku explained.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "You left your own party?"

"Don't you start too!" Suzaku begged. "I've had enough people nagging me about it!"

"But why did you leave?" Nunnally asked. "Birthday parties are fun. You get to see friends and family, eat cake, and open presents."

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "It wasn't _my _party. It was merely an excuse for my father to gather up his backers and do some campaigning. Nobody knew me, and nobody cared. To them, I'm an extension of my father. Not Suzaku, just the prime minister's son."

Nunnally smiled, reaching out to squeeze Suzaku's hand. "Then we're going to have to do something special. Because I like you, not your father, and I'm very happy that you were born. It's worth celebrating, don't you think Lelouch?"

"Definitely," Lelouch agreed.

Fortunately, Lelouch had enough stew to feed three, and he served to Suzaku slowly as both he and Nunnally sang the happy birthday song. Suzaku, who was ravenous, devoured the brew in rapid gulps. The only food they had offered at the party had been tiny salmon puffs and cucumber sandwiches.

"That was good," Suzaku declared, running a finger across his bowl and licking the excess broth.

"Don't do that," Lelouch scolded. "That's gross."

Suzaku laughed. "You nag worse than Kaguya."

"Who's Kaguya?" Nunnally asked.

"There you are!"

Suzaku frowned. "That's Kaguya.

She stood at the doorframe, arms crossed and green eyes blazing. "How dare you leave me behind! Is this any way to treat your fiancée?"

"_Fiancée?_" Lelouch parroted incredulously. "You have a _fiancée_? You're only nine!"

"I'm ten now," Suzaku retorted. "And our parents decided years ago. We got no say in it."

"You still owe me respect! How could you leave a lady wandering around by herself?" Kaguya demanded.

"What lady? All I see is a bossy shrew!" Suzaku fired back.

"And you're some kind of wild child! Hanging around in this dingy little house with Britannians! Don't you pay attention to the news? Britannia is this close to invading us, and you're sitting down to eat with them?" Kaguya exclaimed. "They were probably sent here to befriend you so that they could spy on your father!"

"That's not true!" Nunnally cried. "We would never lie to Suzaku like that! Lelouch and I love him!"

"Love him? Do you know how much trouble he could get in to if people found out he was here? You're nothing but a burden to him!" Kaguya shouted.

Lelouch felt quiet rage build up at the girl's cruel words. "I understand your concerns," he began coldly, "but you can't just come into my home and make such wild accusations. Please leave."

Kaguya matched his glare. "I'm not leaving without Suzaku."

"I'm not going anywhere," Suzaku said. "Go Kaguya!"

For a second, Kaguya honestly looked hurt. "But Suzaku—"

"_Now_!" the boy snapped.

Kaguya's lip quivered slightly, her eyes were shiny with unshed tears, but she turned around without a word.

"She's not usually like that," Suzaku insisted later as they sat on the grass and ate the leftover cake he had brought with him.

"No, I get it," Lelouch assured him. "You were the same way when we first met. It's not that she's a bad person, she's just doesn't know any better. I don't begrudge her."

"But…was she right?" Nunnally asked quietly. "Are we a burden to you, Suzaku?"

"No!" Suzaku said immediately. "I've had more fun with you two in these past few months than I have in my entire life! It wasn't like I was lonely before or anything. I mean…I had Tohdoh-sensei after all, but since you guys came…it's like I found a real family. This little shack with you and Lelouch feels more like home to me than the shrine ever did, and I'm so happy you two are here."

"We are too," Lelouch said quietly. "Even though we probably never would be if our mother hadn't died. Is that how the universe works? Is it all just an endless game of give and take where you have to lose something to gain something?"

"I think you're thinking about it too much," Suzaku said. "Of course, it's terrible that you lost your mother, and I wish you never had to go through that. But you're here now, together with Nunnally and me, and that's what's really important."

Lelouch sighed. "I guess you're right. Thinking about it will only depress me, not to mention give me a headache."

"What will happen if Britannia invades?" Nunnally asked suddenly.

"What brought this on?" Lelouch asked, surprised.

"Kaguya mentioned that they were going to invade soon. What will happen to us?"

Lelouch smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've made arrangements in case of that."

"But we won't be able to stay together, will we?" Nunnally asked quietly.

Lelouch's silence was all the answer she needed, but it was quickly breached by the beam of a invading flashlight.

"Kururugi-san, what are you doing here?" a woman, the housekeeper, demanded.

"You found me, Minako-san," Suzaku said dryly. "Congratulations."

"Don't be snarky with me young man! Did you know your father has been looking for you?" Minako demanded.

"And how long did it take him before he noticed I was missing?" Suzaku asked. "An hour? Two? Let me guess, Kaguya told you where I was."

The woman bristled. "And a good thing she did! Keeping such company is unfitting for the prime minister's son!"

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "So this is about my father? Of course. It always is."

"Come along!" the woman barked, grabbing the boy's arm. "I'm sure Kururugi-sama will have a few things to say to you about your insolence!"

Suzaku smiled bitterly. "Only because I embarrassed him because of his guests. Otherwise I could disappear off the face of the planet, and he would never notice."

The woman scowled, but otherwise didn't seem to have anything to say to that.

Suzaku smiled and waved goodbye to Nunnally and Lelouch gaily as the housekeeper dragged him away.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's it for July! I can't believe next chapter is my last! Soon, the group's carefree days will be over. That's kind of depressing.

Also, I do like Kaguya, and so does Suzaku. She's like an annoying little sister he can't get rid of, but still loves in his own way. I didn't mean to paint her in such a dark light, but like Lelouch said, she's young and under the influence of angry adults. Don't think badly of her.

**Feed me reviews please?**


	14. August 10, 2010

**Author's Note: **This is it, August tenth, my last chapter. I wanted to get it up sooner, but this turned out way longer than I expected. I don't think I've ever written such a long chapter before. I got the much of the plot and dialog from the sound episode **0.543**, episode 16 of R1, as well as the picture drama **23.95**. However, as the latter contrasted what I wanted to do, I deviated from the canon drama. It would have been boring to read it word for word anyway, right?

**Disclaimer:** Code Geass, with all its horrors and wonders, does not belong to me.

**Warnings:** It's August tenth. Need I say more?

* * *

**August 10, 2010**

The day of August tenth seemed like any other day. The sun rose, bringing with it sweltering heat, Suzaku visited, uninhibited by school now that it was finally summer vacation, and events unfolded like they always did. But then Nunnally had heard a noise.

"What's that?" she had asked, drawing the boys' attention to a chorus of pained croaks and angry squawks from above.

Suzaku had aimed his new binoculars towards the sky just in time to watch a bird (perhaps a falcon, but it was kind of hard to tell) lash out at a smaller bird with its beak, forcing the animal out of the sky.

Suzaku's eyes had widened. "Oh no!"

Nearly twenty minutes of searching later, the bird was discovered in a clump of bushes. Judging from its size, it was a songbird, and most likely female. She was colored a drab shade of olive brown with a white underbelly, and her small eyes seemed to look at the children warily.

"Why would another bird do such a thing?" Nunnally had asked, cradling the creature carefully in her hands.

"There may have been a number of reasons," Lelouch had answered. "Probably either for food or territory." Because humans were the only creatures who killed each other for sport.

Suzaku had gently took the bird from Nunnally's hands. "She's an _uguisu_. They live up here in the mountains, but you don't usually see them much this time of year."

"Her wing is broken," Lelouch had observed, wincing sympathetically. "I doubt she'll be able to fly on it."

"Then how will she get back home?" Nunnally had asked, distraught. "She might have babies! A mother shouldn't be separated from her children!"

"Lelouch and I will get her back to her nest, Nunnally," Suzaku had assured the girl. "I promise."

The promise was far more difficult too keep than it was to deliver. After depositing Nunnally at the house to rest, the boys had paid a visit to the local library. Using the small collection of bird books there, they discovered the _uguisu's _preferred habitat, the typical form of its nest, and what the eggs looked like. After that, they used Suzaku's binoculars to scout out possible locations. It took far longer than either one of them had expected, but eventually Suzaku had spotted the bird's nest on the next mountain over. They had to watch it for a while to make absolutely sure it belonged to their bird, but after a few hours there was no doubt.

However, then the greater issue became apparent. How to get there? Genbu Kururugi was currently holding some sort of meeting with Japanese officials (which was where Suzaku was _supposed_ to be right now), and the whole shrine was on lockdown. If Lelouch and Suzaku attempted to leave the boundaries of the Kururugi Shrine, they would definitely be stopped by security police.

"What are we going to do, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked miserably.

But the wheels in Lelouch's head were turning. "Suzaku…if I created a distraction, do you think we'd be able to get a hold of a car?'

Suzaku tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well…yes, I know where a lot of cars are kept…but where are you going with this, Lelouch?"

"I'm not really sure yet," Lelouch admitted. "I'm kind of figuring things out as I go. You don't know how to drive by any chance, do you?"

"Oh, sure!" Suzaku assured him. "I've got lots of driving experience."

Lelouch looked a bit dubious of that, but since it was a desperate situation, he didn't press the matter. "Okay, here's what we're going to do."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Suzaku whispered. "Really sure?"

True to his word, Suzaku had introduced Lelouch to small parking lot just outside of the house, accommodating rows of shiny black SUVs, sports cars, and a single jeep. And just like he said they would be, the vehicles were guarded, just in case.

"Trust me," Lelouch assured him. "This plan is perfect! Only…are you _sure _you can drive it?"

"I'll do my part," Suzaku promised. "Just leave that to me."

Lelouch nodded. "Okay, counting down. Five, four, three, two, one, zero!"

**BOOM!**

The security guards jumped to attention at the sudden burst of sound and smoke.

"What's that, terrorists?" one guard exclaimed.

"Protect Genbu Kururugi!"

"Wow," Suzaku said, impressed. "Explosions…and even a smoke screen! Did you set all that up, Lelouch?"

"I told you I would," Lelouch pointed out. "Now, this is our chance. Let's go, Suzaku!"

Scrambling to his feet, Suzaku nodded. "Right!"

Leading a stumbling Lelouch somewhat by the hand (the boy had kind of overdid it with the smoke bombs), and carefully tucking the bird into the glove compartment, Suzaku hopped into the jeep. Lelouch ducked under the dashboard, where he began to rapidly fiddle with the wires.

Abruptly, the jeep flared to life under Lelouch's hands.

"I hotwired it," he explained.

"Wow, you're like a thief," Suzaku remarked. Where had a prince learned something like that?

Lelouch shrugged. "That goes without saying. Now, let's take off!"

"Right! Suzaku Kururugi, moving out!" Suzaku cried dramatically, proving that he had perhaps watched one too many movies.

The car roared to life, tires squealing as the two boys lurched forward, leaving a trail of smoke and confusion in their wake.

* * *

"I wonder if they'll come after us," Suzaku said, nervously checking his rearview mirrors for possible pursuers.

"None of the cars at the Kururugi Shrine will work now," Lelouch assured him. Suzaku didn't even bother asking what his friend had done to the other vehicles, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. "It will take at least ten minutes for them to call up a car from the village at the foot of the mountain. You think you can get past the post office before then?"

"No prob," Suzaku replied, pressing his foot harder on the gas. He wasn't quite tall enough to reach the pedals, so he had to sort of slouch in order to reach. It made seeing a bit more difficult than it should have been, but that was what Lelouch was for. "Seventy isn't too fast, is it?"

Lelouch didn't have time to reply before the road swerved sharply to the right. Suzaku caught the change just in time and turned the wheel hard. The tires squealed in protest, but the boy deftly managed to maneuver the vehicle through the curve without losing a second of speed.

Lelouch stared at Suzaku as his friend skillfully straightened out the wheel. It was his turn to be impressed. "Wow! Where'd you learn to drive like that?"

Suzaku cut him an incredulous look before returning his gaze to the road. "What are you talking about? You've done this too, Lelouch."

_What? I never…_Suddenly Lelouch recalled long afternoons in Suzaku's room, eyes glued to the TV as they raced and crashed stock cars. "You mean…_video games_?"

"How else?" Suzaku replied, amused. "You think someone would let a kid like me practice with a real car?"

Lelouch had gotten into a moving vehicle, a moving vehicle that was going _seventy miles an hour_, with someone who's only driving experience before now had been in _virtual reality_.

Oh God, they were going to die.

"You're crazy!" Lelouch cried. "Stop the car right now!"

"Forget it," Suzaku said flatly. "We've got ten minutes to get past the post office. I told you, leave this to me."

Another curve in the road, another hairpin turn, and Suzaku refused to put his foot on the brake.

Lelouch gripped the dash for dear life, and for a second, he was convinced he could see his life flash before his eyes. His tragically short, sad life. "Nunnally," he said, almost like a prayer. _I'm sorry, Nunnally. I wish I was able to see your face one last time…_

"Calm down, Lelouch!" Suzaku said, laughing. "You're going to be fine. Look, see? We're past the post office. I can slow down a bit now."

Lelouch nodded wearily. He didn't say anything back, mostly because he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would throw up.

* * *

Suzaku went as far as he could in the car, easing his way up the mountain road, climbing higher and higher until they had no choice but to go on foot.

Lelouch, who had never been a fan of hiking, was uncharacteristically grateful to get his feet back on solid ground.

"There it is, the little bird's nest!" Suzaku cried, pointing at the little collection of grass and twigs near the top of a large tree. Without wasting any time, he grabbed the lowest hanging branch and swung himself up like a young monkey.

"Come on, Lelouch!" he called down to his still earth bound friend. "You can see the Kururugi Shrine from here!"

With much effort, Lelouch attempted to follow his friend's lead. It took him several long moments to pull himself to the first branch, and by the time he got to the second, he was already out of breath.

Suzaku, who had already made it to the top by then, rolled his eyes. "Aw, jeez. Princes aren't very strong, are they?" he taunted down to a wheezing, sweaty Lelouch.

"You're too strong!" Lelouch protested. "You're an exercise nut!"

"Sore loser," Suzaku retorted, descending down the tree so that he was closer to Lelouch. "Come on, give me your hand."

Lelouch accepted Suzaku's warm palm gratefully, and soon (mostly due to Suzaku), they were enjoying a beautiful view on the top branch.

"We actually made it here, didn't we," Lelouch said, smiling at the little bird's grateful chirps. It must have been nice to return to her home and family.

"Yeah, we completely outsmarted the grown ups," Suzaku declared, laughing. "Thanks to your plan, Lelouch."

"The car is hidden, and we left false clues for them to follow," Lelouch said. Suzaku had been rather irritated by all the detours he had forced them to take for the sake of misdirection, but it was definitely worth it. "They probably won't track us for half a day at least."

"You're amazing," Suzaku said admiringly. "You actually thought it through that far?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Well, they assume we're just dumb little kids, so it wasn't that hard to get around them, but when you told me you had plenty of driving experience, I didn't think it was all from _video games_." And despite the skill Suzaku had displayed on the road, Lelouch was still a bit nervous of the thought of getting back in the car with him.

"So what?" Suzaku asked defensively. "I drove the car all right, didn't I?"

"You really are totally reckless, you know that?" Lelouch replied.

At the accusation, Suzaku started laughing. Laughing long and hard because the sun was shining, the bird was safe, and they had gotten away with something impossible. Lelouch would have wondered if he was going into hysterics, but Suzaku's laughter had a warm, contagious quality that just made one incapable of doing anything other than laugh with him.

And for a second, just sitting there, happy and laughing, Lelouch felt as if this moment could last forever.

"You know, Lelouch," Suzaku remarked as the mirth left his system, "when we work together, there's nothing in the whole world we can't do."

The words only made Lelouch chuckle harder. "That's stupid…but I'd like to think it's true."

"You _know _it's true," Suzaku insisted, eyes glittering.

Lelouch was far too logical to believe that anything was possible. Some barriers were just not meant to be broken, some obstacles too high to overcome.

But in that moment, with Suzaku looking at him earnestly, high on life and triumph, Lelouch absolutely believed him.

_If I'm with Suzaku, we can do anything. Anything at all._

"…Suzaku, are you going to be a prime minister like your father?" Lelouch asked quietly.

No one had ever asked Suzaku that question before. It was always assumed that he would follow Genbu's footsteps, regardless of his own dreams and desires. It was what was expected of a son of the Kururugi house, and Suzaku had always scoffed at the idea. He had no intention of being like his father, in job title or otherwise, but for the first time, Lelouch's simple question made him think. He could do so many things as prime minister, help his country and his people, and maybe, just maybe build that bridge he and Lelouch had dreamed of.

"If I do, you could become emperor!" Suzaku exclaimed. Because there was no point in building a bridge if there was no one waiting on the other side.

"That's impossible. I've lost my claim to the imperial throne," Lelouch pointed out.

"I'll help you," replied Suzaku. He knew absolutely nothing about the complex political struggle that was the Britannian line of ascension, but he was confident that he could help Lelouch to the top.

"Really, you mean that?" Lelouch asked, surprised.

"I just told you, there's nothing we can't do if we work together," Suzaku pointed out with a smile.

Lelouch returned the smile as a warm feeling sprouted in his chest. Hope, maybe? "Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Great, it's settled!" Suzaku declared brightly. "You're going to be emperor with my help."

Lelouch could almost see the future before him. The future he and Suzaku would create side by side. A world of unity, a place his sister could open her eyes to, where they could all be together forever.

"Thanks," Lelouch said. He didn't think Suzaku could see that world yet, or knew the true meaning of his promise, but he would soon. Lelouch was sure of it. "Then I'll help you to become—"

**Boom!**

The distant sound reminded Lelouch of one of his smoke bombs, except there was no way his own small scale explosions could resonate so far.

"What was—?" Lelouch asked.

"I hear something strange from that way, towards the town," Suzaku remarked, pointing down the mountain. "Let's check it out."

Lelouch nodded. Together, they scaled down the tree.

"According to this terrain map, we should get a view of the town if we cross over the north north-west slope," Lelouch said, struggling to keep up with Suzaku's urgent pace.

Suzaku nodded. "Gotcha." And for once, he probably did understand what his friend was saying. He was an idiot most of the time, but he had an excellent sense of direction.

They ran, Suzaku in the lead, with Lelouch somehow only falling slightly behind. As they got closer, the sounds grew louder. Eventually, they came across a large field of sunflowers, and as they crossed through the yellow path, Lelouch got the inexplicable feeling that they were being watched. The sensation was odd, but not malevolent, as if whoever the gaze belonged was merely a curious observer who cared nothing of the scene before them, merely interested in seeing how it all played out.

Lelouch would have liked to look back, liked to find out if the indifferent eyes boring into his back were real or imagined, but Suzaku was still moving forward, and Lelouch couldn't fall behind.

The best place to see the village was on top of a steep cliff. Suzaku climbed it without hesitation and very little trouble, but it wasn't so easy for Lelouch.

Suzaku sighed. "Again, Lelouch?" he said, once again reaching out his hand to the boy.

"Oh, shut up," Lelouch snapped, grasping Suzaku's hand.

At the top of the cliff, the boys took a moment to catch their breaths, granting them a few precious seconds, the last seconds, of their peaceful summer.

And then they looked ahead, and everything changed.

The mountain was dotted with the black silhouettes of fighter jets and helicopters, the air riddled with the sounds of bombs and gunfire. From the ground, Japanese tanks launched missiles, but it was all for naught. They didn't stand a chance against the metal monsters before them, a mechanical parody of a human being.

"Lelouch, those are—"

"Britannians," Lelouch finished, eyes wide with horror as he watched the future he had dreamed of disappear.

"They're destroying everything!" Suzaku exclaimed. "All those people! Not just soldiers, but families, children!"

_Children… _"Nunnally!" Lelouch exclaimed. "I have to find her! I have to make sure she's okay!"

Suzaku nodded, grateful to have something else, _anything else_ to focus on. "Yeah, we'll go back."

They uncovered the car from their hiding place, driving back in silence, Lelouch not protesting (or even noticing) when Suzaku's speed surpassed eighty.

"She'll be okay, Lelouch," Suzaku said quietly. "Everything's going to be okay."

Lelouch nodded faintly.

He didn't believe him.

* * *

After a point, the car ran out of gas, so the boys simply left it and walked the rest of the way. They did it in silence. Neither one of them wanted to talk about what they just witnessed, nor what it meant. Voicing it aloud would make it real.

It was a relief when the storehouse came into view. The tiny little shed was something familiar, separate from the craziness that was the world, and for a moment, they could pretend nothing had changed.

"Nunnally!" Lelouch called.

"I'm here, Lelouch. What's wrong?" Nunnally asked.

_She doesn't know,_ Lelouch realized, shocked. Of course she wouldn't know. She'd been in the storehouse all day. Nunnally had no way of finding out the horrors outside.

"We're going to have to move," Lelouch said quietly. "We can't stay here anymore."

"What? Why?" Nunnally asked.

"Things have changed, Nunnally," Lelouch said gently.

"But I don't want to go!" Nunnally protested. "I want to stay here with you and Suzaku like always! This is our home now! We can't leave again!"

Lelouch smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, little sister, but we have to go."

"No!" Nunnally whimpered. "Please, I want to stay! Do something, Suzaku! I want to stay!"

Suzaku couldn't bear seeing her like this. She had been through enough, and now everything she knew was being uprooted and relocated. _Again_.

He couldn't let it happen. It would destroy her. It would destroy _him_. So Suzaku did something stupid and irresponsible. He reached out, clasped the little girl's hand and said, "Okay."

Lelouch stared at his friend. "Okay? Okay what?"

"I'll do something. I'll talk to my father; do whatever it takes to stop this. And then things will all go back to the way they were before, I promise!" Suzaku said, face alive and determined. "Wait for me. I'll be back!"

Lelouch watched as his friend ran out the door. The words Suzaku had spoken had been filled with passion, and Lelouch knew that his friend meant them with all his heart.

He also knew that it was already too late.

* * *

The shrine was quiet, unnaturally quiet. It was as if the entire premises had gone into shock. The servants had all evacuated, and all that remained were soldiers and security police, vigilantly standing guard of an empty shell.

Still, Suzaku found it remarkably easy to slip past them. They were on watch for fully grown men with uniforms and guns, not a single boy.

He knew his father would be in his office. Genbu Kururugi was always in his office, and even though (and perhaps because) the country was falling apart outside, today would be no different.

Suzaku had never gone to his father's study by his own volition before. Anywhere else in the house he would have simply barged in, not bothering to knock or hide his presence, but the office was different. Whenever he stepped inside, it was because he had been summoned; otherwise the room was sacred ground, never to be tread.

So it could be understood why his hands were shaking as he slowly inched the door open to peek inside.

Genbu was on the phone, so Suzaku decided to wait. After all, one should wait until the other is done speaking before interrupting, right? It wasn't like Suzaku was afraid of his father or anything. Of course not. He was simply being polite.

And a good, polite boy would have waited quietly outside the door and _not _eavesdropped in on his father's conversation, but Suzaku had never claimed to be a good boy. Therefore, he pressed his ear to the tiny crack in the door and listened for all it was worth.

"Yes, I know. Of course I've seen it! Do you think I'm blind?" Genbu barked into the receiver.

He paused, tapping his fingers irritably on the table as he listened to the response.

"Surrender? To those Britannians? Are you insane? Have you no pride as a Japanese?" Genbu demanded, and Suzaku found it wasn't necessary to press his ear to the door anymore, because his father was shouting loud enough to be heard through the wall.

"Yes, I know our chances!" Genbu bellowed, slamming his hand down on the table. "I've had countless people droning our inevitable downfall into my ears for months! I don't care! If we fall, we fall fighting! I'm calling for do or die resistance, and if you're a true Japanese, you _will_ back my decision!"

_No,_ Suzaku thought, _that's not right. _It was so easy for his father to make that decision. He wasn't the one going into the battlefield, risking his life for his home against impossible odds. The idea of it seemed honorable, but was it really? A few months ago, hell, even a few _hours_ ago, Suzaku would have scoffed at surrendering. He loved his homeland, and never wanted to see it die. But that was before he had seen the planes, the metal monsters, and the faint outlines of corpses, the first of many. It had been then that Suzaku truly realized that Japan would fall. It was only a matter of when.

Was it cowardly, the desire to live? Live to see your loved ones and laugh together? Death i=was the end of everything. Where there was life, there was tomorrow, there was hope, even if it seemed impossible under a Britannian rule. Some would disagree, but did his father, who knew nothing of the battlefield, really have the right to make that choice for them?

It took a moment for Suzaku to realize that his father had started talking again.

"The children? You mean the royals? I suppose it would be best to just get rid of them. They're useless as hostages now. I'm sure plenty of people have died already, not just from the battle, but from the riots that have broken out in the villages. Nobody will think twice about two more bodies. We can just say they were attacked by angry villagers," Genbu said, shrugging indifferently, as if he was merely discussing stocks, rather than playing with someone else's fate.

Suzaku's eyes widened. Lelouch and Nunnally? His father, his _father_ was going to hurt them? But they hadn't done anything! They were good! Why was Suzaku the only one who could see that?

Genbu nodded, oblivious to his son's horror. "Yes, good. I'll leave it to you. Okay. Goodbye."

At the sound of the phone returning to its cradle, Suzaku eased the door open wider, wincing as the hinges squeaked.

Genbu's head turned at the noise. "Who's there?" he demanded sharply.

_No turning back now,_ Suzaku thought dully as he finally took his first steps inside.

Genbu's shoulders relaxed at the sight of his son's face. "Oh it's just you," he said, audibly relieved. Because Suzaku was a child, _his _child, and of course that meant he was utterly harmless. "What are you doing here, boy?"

Suzaku had written an entire speech in his head on the way to the study. Lelouch would have been proud of the amount of care and planning he had put into this confrontation. But in the face of his father's cold brown eyes, the eyes of a man who could order the deaths of children without another thought, and with new knowledge weighing heavily in his mind, Suzaku forgot all of that. There was only one thing he could say.

"Please, Father," Suzaku pleaded. "Don't start a war."

Genbu stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Suzaku insisted. "I know you do. Please don't do it. I've seen the soldiers and the guns. Japan won't survive."

"What do you know?" Genbu barked. "You're merely a child! What could you know about war?"

"Nothing, father," Suzaku admitted quietly. "But if you take us down this path, I'm sure I'll become an expert soon enough. That is, if Britannia doesn't wipe us out first."

Genbu rose from his chair with a violent jerk and slapped Suzaku hard, eyes burning with rage as his son crumpled to the ground. "I don't ever want to hear that from you again! Would you really rather cling pathetically to a life that can be taken away at Britannia's whim?"

Sitting up slowly, Suzaku pressed a hand to his stinging cheek. It wasn't the first time his father had hit him. Lashing out had been Genbu's choice brand of discipline for as long as Suzaku could remember. The only difference was that Suzaku wasn't afraid of him. Not anymore.

"It's better than the alternative! How can you knowingly send so many out to die?" Suzaku demanded.

"This is war, boy! Sacrifices must be made!" Genbu yelled.

_But not you,_ Suzaku thought bitterly. _Never __**you**__._

"Is that what Lelouch and Nunnally are, father?" Suzaku asked quietly. "Sacrifices?"

Genbu stiffened. "I told you not to get attached," he said coldly, but inwardly he was at a loss. Who was this child, this defiant, glaring child? He certainly wasn't his.

"But they're children! They're no threat to you! Please don't do this, Father! Please don't start a war!" Suzaku begged, tears forming in his eyes as he gripped Genbu's sleeve. Tears of frustration because he wasn't _listening_. He never listened.

"Stop this foolishness, Suzaku!" Genbu shouted, throwing his son away. "I am the parent and you are the child. You will do as I say!"

For so long, Suzaku had lived by those words. Genbu was the father, and that meant that he was always right and Suzaku had to obey him.

But Suzaku wasn't that little boy that blindly went along with whatever his father said simply because he was the _adult_, and because disagreeing would only earn him bruises. He had changed, seen the folly and shortsightedness of adults, and the terrible path the world was taking. He could see it because he was a child.

"I can't change your mind?" Suzaku asked, voice small, eyes downcast towards the floor.

"No," Genbu said firmly, pleased at his son's show of submission. Yes, this was right. This was how it was supposed to be. He turned towards the door. It would be best to evacuate soon. No doubt the Britannians would storm this place. If Suzaku wouldn't follow, he would send someone to collect him later.

In his haste to leave, he didn't notice Suzaku slowly getting back to his feet, eyes sparkling dangerously.

"Then you can't leave here, Father."

The words were spoken so quietly, Genbu almost didn't hear them.

Confused, he turned around just in time to catch the glint of something silver.

Suzaku would never know where the knife came from. Perhaps Genbu had been keeping it on his desk for protection, or maybe Suzaku had somehow picked it up on the way.

But Suzaku would always remember his father's face before he died. That blank look of utter shock as he looked into his son's eyes and found a stranger.

"Suzaku," Genbu gasped, blood pouring out of his mouth. "Wh—?"

"You can't leave here, Father," Suzaku repeated dully.

And then that great man, the source of all Suzaku's awe and fear, the last leader of the nation he loved, crumbled to the floor, knife still sticking out of his stomach.

The man twitched, gasping his last breaths as Suzaku looked on. He was strangely reminded of a fish out of water, jerking wildly, fighting for life even as it was drained from its body. And then Genbu went still.

And that was when what Suzaku had done finally sunk in. He hadn't planned for this, _any of this_, to happen. Even when the knife had been in his hand (but how had it gotten there? When had he picked it up?) killing his father hadn't crossed his mind. He simply knew that if Genbu left the room, it would be too late. Things would be set into motion, the course impossible to change. Which meant that Genbu couldn't leave, that Suzaku had to stop him. No matter what.

Was he really…dead? How could that be? How could his father just…die like that? He had been alive just a second ago. But Suzaku could see the blood, so much blood. He was standing in it. How messy.

Genbu hadn't closed his eyes. They were supposed to close their eyes, weren't they? They always did in the movies, as if rather than dying, they were merely falling asleep. But Genbu's face didn't look peaceful. It was frozen in perpetual shock, and would remain like that until time eroded the expression forever.

So Suzaku crawled closer, through the pool of blood, not caring or really noticing that it was soaking through his clothes. The red was already on his hands, what did a bit more matter? He had to close Genbu's eye, because he kept staring and _staring_, shocked, confused, and asking _why why why_.

Genbu was warm to the touch. Weren't dead people supposed to be cold? Maybe Suzaku had been reading too many comic books, or maybe he wasn't dead at all. Maybe Genbu would get up soon, brush himself off; scold Suzaku for getting his clothes dirty again.

But the knife was still sticking out of him, buried all the way to the hilt, the handle gleaming mockingly. People didn't sleep with knives in their stomachs.

Some dim part of Suzaku knew there was something he still had to do. There _had _been a reason he came here, hadn't there? A reason for all of this, something very important, but Suzaku couldn't remember anymore.

So instead, the boy sat by his dead father as the puddle of blood grew on the floor, waiting for him to get up even while knowing that he never would again.

And even with this knowledge, Suzaku did not cry. Not a single tear.

* * *

The first time Tohdoh had ever met Suzaku, he had been three years old. It had been at Nadeshiko's funeral. Tohdoh had been close to the woman, back when she had been Sumeragi Nadeshiko, but had distanced himself from her and her family shortly after she had gotten married…for a lot of reasons.

But when he had heard that she had died, he hadn't been able to resist coming to see her one last time, even if it meant seeing her in a coffin.

He hadn't been a part of the official funeral procession, rather had stood just outside of view, barely within hearing range of her last rites. He had expected to look on and silently pay his respects without being noticed.

Suzaku had noticed him.

"Why are you all the way over here, Uncle?" Suzaku had asked, startling Tohdoh considerably. The rest of the boy's family had been heading towards the crematorium, but apparently little Suzaku had managed to get away from his nanny.

The first thing that had struck him about the child was how much he looked like his mother, especially back when she had been younger and worn her hair short. But it wasn't just his looks that resembled her. There was a certain spark in his eyes that she had always possessed. A bright warmth that spoke of energy and life, something Tohdoh hadn't seen in a long time.

So when Suzaku had asked that simple question, Tohdoh felt almost compelled to answer with the truth. "I don't feel welcome over there with everyone else."

Suzaku had nodded. "I don't either," he had admitted. "I don't think the people over there like me very much, and Father won't talk to me. I wish Mama would get out of the box. Everything's better when Mama is around."

Tohdoh had sucked in a breath, horrified because the boy hadn't understood, and Tohdoh had hardly been in a position to explain things to him. But he had to. They had been a mere hour away from cremating Nadeshiko's body. Tohdoh had feared how the child would react to watching his mother being put into the fire.

"I'm sorry," Tohdoh had said quietly. "She's gone."

It was if a shadow had passed over that sweet face. "I know," Suzaku had admitted quietly.

Tohdoh's eyes had widened. "_Really?_" he had asked, mentally kicking himself at the disbelief in his tone.

Suzaku had looked towards his shoes. "At first, I thought she was just sleeping. She's been sleeping a lot lately. But then she wouldn't wake up. I kept calling her, but she wouldn't wake up. Everyone was so sad, and when they put her in that box, I knew she wasn't going to wake up again. Father said I would understand when I'm older."

Considering his age, the boy's level of comprehension had been remarkable, and somehow it made Tohdoh's heart ache. No child should have had to deal with such terrible things.

And when the tears had begun to fall from those big green eyes, Tohdoh had started to panic. He had never dealt with a crying child before and had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had settled for patting the kid on the back awkwardly.

"It's okay. Just...don't cry. It'll be okay," Tohdoh had said stiffly, his attempt to be comforting.

Suzaku had glared at him. "You don't know that! How can it be okay if she's not here?"

Tohdoh had been at a loss at what to say to that. He hadn't even known the answer himself.

"You're right," Tohdoh had admitted, carefully choosing his words. "I don't know that. But I know that your mother loved you very much, and that she would want you to have a happy life, even if she couldn't be in it."

"Really?" Suzaku had asked quietly.

"Absolutely," Tohdoh had insisted.

Through his tears, the child had smiled, and his smile had been just like hers. "You're really nice, Uncle. Are you Mama's friend?"

"Well…yes, I suppose I am," Tohdoh had replied. Their relationship had actually been a bit more complicated than that, but he had refused to get into the details with a three year old.

"Do you want to be my friend, Uncle?" Suzaku had asked.

Tohdoh had nodded, unable to find fault in such an innocent request.

Suzaku had smiled. "That's good. Friends are good. My name's Suzaku, what's yours?"

"Tohdoh," the man had answered automatically. "Tohdoh Kyoshiro."

"It's nice to meet you," Suzaku had said, and much to Tohdoh's shock, he had thrown his tiny arms around Tohdoh's legs in a childish hug.

Almost unconsciously, Tohdoh had rested a hand in the little child's hair. He had let Nadeshiko down, had abandoned her without ever making amends, but in that moment, he had sworn to himself that he would watch over her child.

He had found out later that Genbu was asking around for a martial arts teacher for his son, and even though he had never taught outside of the military before, he had immediately offered his services.

The boy had turned out to be a genius of combat, picking up things in a few weeks that often took _years_ to learn. There wasn't a single thing Tohdoh had taught him that didn't come as naturally as breathing. In all his years of service, Tohdoh had never met anyone so talented, himself included.

So when Suzaku had one day informed him that he wanted to be a soldier _"just like you, sensei!" _there hadn't been a doubt in his mind that Suzaku would be brilliant.

It had also filled his heart with fear. Tohdoh had seen combat, watched men fight and die on the battlefield too young. He knew there was no glory in it, despite what the songs wanted people to believe. It was not something Nadeshiko would have wanted for her son.

So Tohdoh had smiled at Suzaku's childish declarations, changed the subject quickly, and silently prayed that this sweet child would never have to see the ruins of death and war.

But when Britannia finally made her move, Tohdoh knew that was impossible.

The attack hadn't been entirely unexpected. Tensions had been high between Japan and Britannia for a long time, and most realized that war would be the inevitable outcome. A war that Japan could never win.

Some had been optimistic. Yes, Japan was outclassed in both soldiers and weaponry, but so were the Americans during the Revolution. Of course, the Americans had lost, but they had come close, hadn't they? The Japanese were far more disciplined than the _Americans _had been.

But the English hadn't had weapons straight out of science fiction. Japanese spies had discovered blueprints, so it was entirely possible that the Knightmare Frames could be duplicated in a couple years, but they didn't have that kind of time. The best they could hope for was a conditional surrender before Japan was decimated completely.

Many had chafed at the idea, but Kirihara had assured him it was the only way. Better to surrender while they were still strong, and then stage a counterattack later, winning their country back when Britannia least expected it. Everyone who mattered had eventually agreed, albeit begrudgingly. Everyone except for the prime minister.

Genbu had adamantly refused to back down, lashing out in rage at the mere suggestion. Without the prime minister's support, the rest of the nation wouldn't follow. Kirihara had sent Tohdoh to Genbu's office in hopes of changing his mind, and if he couldn't…more _drastic _actions would have to be taken.

Tohdoh had never liked Genbu, but he did not relish the idea of killing Nadeshiko's husband and Suzaku's father. However, he would do so if necessary, if only to protect Suzaku from more bloodshed. He couldn't stop what had already happened, but he could prevent the situation from going into a downward spiral.

But when Tohdoh arrived at Genbu's office, the door was already ajar, and it didn't take him long to realize someone else had already beaten him to the punch.

Genbu lie there on the floor, clothes askew and body limp. Tohdoh had seen enough corpses to recognize one, even without the knife impaling his stomach.

But the sight of Suzaku crouched beside him, eyes blank and clothes bloody, was far more horrifying. Because Tohdoh recognized that look in Suzaku's eyes, the exact same look he had seen in many young soldiers who hadn't had any idea of what they would be getting into by enlisting. Blank, dumb shock and horror of someone who before now had no idea of what he was capable of.

But even as he recognized it, Tohdoh's mind rebelled against it. It was entirely possible that he had merely found his father's body after the fact. Suzaku was a good child, young, _innocent_. He never would have done this, _never_.

Except the act of murder only took a moment's rage and a careless action, and it had no age limit.

"Suzaku," Tohdoh whispered quietly, "what happened?" He didn't already know, _he didn't_. His military instincts were wrong, damn it!

Suzaku looked up from his father's body, eyes focused on Tohdoh but glazed, not truly seeing him at all. "I killed him," he replied dully, voice flat and distant.

No, please God, no!

"Why?" Tohdoh asked, trying to keep his voice firm and steady.

Suzaku shrugged. "I dunno. I just…I couldn't let him leave. Bad things would have happened."

Tohdoh swallowed thickly. "So…you stabbed him?"

Suzaku nodded. "I didn't mean to…that's not why I came here."

"Then why did you come here?" Tohdoh asked gently.

"I just wanted to talk to him," Suzaku insisted. "I wanted…I thought I could stop it. But he wouldn't listen to me. I didn't know what else to do…so I…and then he fell down, like…like the villagers. But he had to! He had to, or other people, so many, so _many, _would have fallen down with him. Fallen down and put into boxes like...like Mama."

Tohdoh knew that shock came in many forms. Some grew quiet, sometimes going days without speaking a word; others were the exact opposite, babbling long monologues that often made little sense. Suzaku apparently was a babbler, and from his rambling, it wasn't hard to piece together what had happened.

And Tohdoh, who hardly ever showed affection aside from a pat on the head, hugged the boy tight.

"I'm sorry," Tohdoh whispered, because it was then, clutching the bloodstained child in his arms that Tohdoh realized he had utterly failed him. Stopping Genbu had been his job, his responsibility, not Suzaku's. Tohdoh should have been able to protect him. From this, from everything. "I'm so sorry."

Suzaku simply stood there, not pushing him away, but not returning the embrace either. So Tohdoh scooped the unresisting child into his arms, carrying him like he had when he was still just a little boy.

He took him to Suzaku's room, setting him down on the bed gently. Suzaku sat there in silence, only moving when Tohdoh told him to raise his arms so that he could slip a shirt over his head. Tohdoh had only just managed to get him into a fresh pair of shorts when the phone rang. He would have liked to ignore it, but he already knew who it was, and Kirihara did not like being kept waiting.

"Hello?"

"Did you do it, Tohdoh?" Kirihara asked, speaking of murder as if it was merely taking out dry cleaning.

"Yes," Tohdoh said stiffly. Better for everyone to think it was him. No one would ever have to know the truth. He and Suzaku would keep that secret forever.

"Good, good. We'll have to cover up his death for a while. Don't want people thinking that it's too convenient, but we'll say that it was a suicide protesting do or die resistance. Under such circumstances, I'm sure the public will be willing to surrender. People love such selfless, poetic actions," Kirihara remarked.

Tohdoh's grip tightened on the phone. "What about the riots?"

Unexpectedly, Suzaku stirred. "Riots?"

Oblivious to the small interruption, Kirihara went on. "Those will blow over soon enough," he said dismissively. "And if they don't, I'm sure the Britannians will quiet them down."

Tohdoh frowned, but nevertheless answered, "Yes, sir," and hung up the phone.

Suzaku tugged at Tohdoh's sleeve, a childish gesture that seemed very out of place considering the situation. "Sensei, what about the riots? Please tell me."

Tohdoh should have told him it was nothing for him to worry about. And it shouldn't have been, because Suzaku was only ten years old, far too young to concern himself with such things if he wasn't directly in the fray.

But Suzaku was looking up at him, his eyes burning with a need to know, and Tohdoh realized that he _was _in the fray now. Tohdoh could wipe up the blood and pretend that there wasn't a war going on outside, but there was no going back.

"When the attack broke out, people panicked. Fear can make it hard to differentiate between friend and foe, and sometimes it seems easier to take it out on others than it is to face what's happening," Tohdoh explained gently.

"_I'm sure plenty of people have died already, not just from the battle, but from the riots that have broken out in the villages. Nobody will think twice about two more bodies."_

Suzaku's fingers tightened on Tohdoh's sleeve. "Sensei, what's going to happen to Lelouch and Nunnally?"

Tohdoh hesitated. In truth, with all that was going on, Tohdoh had forgotten about them, and now that Britannia had apparently abandoned the siblings, they were probably more of a hindrance than a help. Kirihara wouldn't think twice about disposing of them.

Suzaku didn't need to hear those thoughts however. Tohdoh's face told him all he needed to know.

"I have to go," he said, standing up on slightly wobbly legs.

Tohdoh reached out to steady him. "It's dangerous out there, Suzaku!"

Suzaku nodded. "I know. That's why I have to go. I have to protect them."

Tohdoh would have stopped him, _wanted _to stop him, but doing so would go against everything he had taught Suzaku, and even if he did, the boy would go anyway. Tohdoh could see it in his eyes.

The man sighed. "All right. Just…be careful."

Suzaku, who hadn't been waiting for Tohdoh's permission and was already halfway out the door, paused. He turned back to face his teacher and bowed low. "Thank you, Tohdoh-sensei."

And then he disappeared.

When he looked back at that moment, Tohdoh would consider letting Suzaku go to be the second greatest mistake of his life.

The first would come later, when he became so immersed in meetings, plans, and negotiations that he didn't answer his damn phone.

* * *

Lelouch had been busy all afternoon, making preparations to leave. The Ashfords had given him a cheap disposable cell phone for emergencies, and he had arranged to have someone pick Nunnally and him up from the highway later that day. So now it was simply a matter of packing.

Lelouch was aware that heavy packing was impossible. Most likely, he and Nunnally would have to walk to the highway. The road was not nearby, and Lelouch couldn't have such strain on his arms. So now he was trying to figure out what to keep.

Nunnally, after she had calmed down and faced the hard truth, had only made a single request. She wanted to keep a picture book Suzaku had given her for her birthday. Between the pages, she had placed her White Day daffodils.

Lelouch, on the other hand, was having a harder time. Nunnally had long since learned not to put value on the visual. She didn't need physical reminders because her memories were safe in her heart. But as Lelouch sorted through the keepsakes he had accumulated over the months, it was difficult for him to let things go. Everything seemed to have memories attached. Here was the pot and pan set Suzaku had given him for his birthday (most likely stolen from the kitchens), there was the messily knitted wall hanging Nunnally had made to make the house look homier. The pans were obviously too heavy, but maybe the wall hanging would be okay? But perhaps it would be better if he left it. Easier, a clean break and all that.

And then, sitting innocently on the rickety night table, Lelouch spotted the picture. It had been taken just a few weeks ago. One of Suzaku's birthday gifts had been a camera, and he had insisted on a picture together. He had balanced the camera precariously on a tree branch, set the timer, and ran to join Lelouch and Nunnally. Within the photo's frame, Suzaku was grinning into the camera, face bright and cocky, with his arm wrapped around Lelouch's shoulders. Lelouch however, was looking at Suzaku. The warm pressure of Suzaku's arm had been unexpected, and he had ended up blushing despite himself.

They had found out later that Suzaku had lousy aim with the camera, and that Nunnally's head had been completely cut off, but Lelouch had kept the photo nonetheless. It had no frame, so it was easy to pick up and carefully put into his pocket. After a moment's thought, he added the little origami figure Suzaku had given him for White Day. If Nunnally was going to keep her gift, he would do so as well.

However, as he gently picked up the little ornament, he saw something from out the window. A group of men were approaching the storehouse.

_What? The Ashfords maybe? No, they wouldn't send anyone so soon, so far away from the agreed meeting place. Which only leaves one other explanation…_

Lelouch's eyes widened. "Nunnally!" he cried urgently.

"Lelouch, what is it?" the girl asked.

"We need to get out of here right now!" Lelouch said. But how? There was no back door, and they were so close already. Maybe they should just hide?

But when Lelouch heard a low whistle from behind, he knew it was too late.

"Never thought royalty would crash in such a dump," the man remarked, leaning in the doorway. "But then again, you're hardly Britannia's favored son anymore, are you."

His Britannian was excellent, and his demeanor was very calm. Probably a hired gun.

However, not everyone with him was calm. The man in charge was probably the only professional; the others were merely backup he had recruited from the village. It was cheaper that way.

"You Brit shit! This is all you're fault! You and your damn country!" shouted one. The rest of the group growled their agreement, and Lelouch backed up a few steps.

"Yeah! This is your fault!"

"We'll teach you two a lesson!"

The man in the doorway, probably the person in charge, simply shrugged. "I was told to set this place on fire, and to ensure that the Britannians never make it out, but I don't see anything wrong with roughing these two up a bit beforehand."

Lelouch gulped. What did he do? They kept getting closer. He had to protect his sister!

But Lelouch was small, so small. There was nothing he could do when he was dragged outside, could only watch when they picked up a screaming Nunnally.

"Look!" one cried. "The little princess is nothing more than an invalid in a wheelchair!"

Once someone had drawn attention to it, the group swarmed the little piece of machinery, taking perverse pleasure in kicking Nunnally's wheelchair, her _legs_, into a twisted skeleton of wood and metal. Lelouch struggled against the ones holding him. He wouldn't be next! He wouldn't let it end like this!

The leader laughed. "Looks like you have some fight left. Hey boys, why don't we see how long it lasts!"

Lelouch braced himself as the men, berserk with rage, circled him like hungry buzzards. He was going to end up like that wheelchair, and then they were going for Nunnally. One man raised his arm, and Lelouch flinched, preparing himself for the blow…

SMACK!

The man howled in pain as his fist came in contact with hard wood.

Suzaku stood in front of Lelouch protectively, wooden _bokuto _in hand. The prince hadn't even seen him enter the fray.

"You stay away from them!" Suzaku hissed.

The leader chuckled. "Looks like the prime minister's brat has come to save his friends. How touching. Don't kill him, men. It would be more trouble than it's worth. Just knock him out."

The man who had already met the business end of Suzaku's sword was only too happy to oblige. He swung his arm out in a wild strike, but Suzaku just ducked and hit his kneecaps. Judging by the popping sound each strike made, Suzaku was a lot stronger than his size suggested.

The villagers attempted to retaliate, but they did not have Suzaku's training. It was a simple matter for him to deftly dodge their clumsy blows. Suzaku also had another advantage. He knew this ground. Every rock, twig, and dip in the landscape. Tohdoh had always told him to mind his surroundings. You never knew what could turn the tables.

Still, even though Lelouch was fully aware of his friend's skill, it was a bit shocking to witness Suzaku knock out half a dozen fully grown men with a glorified stick.

The man in charge, who had done nothing but hang back at this point, raised his eyebrows. "Impressive, kid. But then again, they were all pretty pathetic anyway. Often I find that the angrier they are, the more stupid they become. But you won't get so lucky with me."

The man took a stance and came rushing at Suzaku. Unlike the others, this man was not inexperienced, and perhaps more importantly, he didn't underestimate his opponent. He took full advantage of his long limbs, and it was all Suzaku could do to dodge.

But Suzaku was still faster. He went with the flow of the punches, staying close to his opponent, jabbing him the half seconds between his attacks.

Suddenly, the man stumbled slightly. On the ground was a small wheel from Nunnally's chair. The assassin had forgotten about it, but Suzaku hadn't. Every move made had been manipulating his opponent to that point. Taking advantage of the man's faltering, the Japanese boy went for the kill, striking at his legs, and then when the assassin lost his balance, Suzaku rapped him over the head. Hard.

There was a single moment of soft surprise before the man quietly passed out.

Breathing hard, Suzaku stood there, eyes bright and alert, as if he expected another enemy any second.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch called. He was worried. He had never seen Suzaku look so angry before, and so different. It was the first time Lelouch felt like he didn't know him.

Suzaku blinked slowly, as if seeing him for the first time, before a light of recognition finally entered his gaze. "Lelouch! Are you and Nunnally okay?"

"Yeah," Lelouch assured him, nodding slowly.

And before he could truly process what Suzaku was doing, arms were around him, hugging him tight.

"I'm glad," Suzaku whispered. "I'm so glad."

"Are _you _okay, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked. Because the rage had given way to something lost and frightened, and that was a look Lelouch liked even less.

"I…no. No," Suzaku said quietly. "I did a bad thing, Lelouch. A really bad thing."

Lelouch pushed Suzaku to arms length. "He was going to hurt us, Suzaku. You had to stop him."

Suzaku made a noise that sounded very much like a whimper, and buried his face in Lelouch's shoulder.

Lelouch pulled him closer, rubbing his back in soothing circles. "It's okay, Suzaku. Everything's going to be okay." Which was a ridiculous thing to say, because they both knew that _nothing_ was okay anymore, and it seemed unlikely that anything would be again. But Suzaku needed him, even though he didn't understand why. And he _wanted _to understand, but somehow he knew Suzaku would never tell him. So instead, he let Suzaku use him for support, as he clearly could not stand on his own.

And it was there, in his friend's arms, that Suzaku finally began to weep.

* * *

Nunnally's wheelchair was beyond repair, so Suzaku offered to carry her on his back. However, Lelouch had refused to allow him to bear the bulk of the work this time around, so they ended up taking turns.

The walk to the highway was horrifying. Corpses, bloated and stinking in the sun, were sprinkled amongst the skeletons of temples, shops, buildings, bloated and stinking in the sun like road kill, which in a way, they were.

"Where are we going?" Nunnally asked, oblivious to the carnage around her. "Are we going to move to another place again?"

"It's one of the Kururugi's homes. This time, it's the main house, okay?" Lelouch assured her gently, straining under her weight because he had insisted on taking the first shift.

Lelouch knew he couldn't lie to her forever. Eventually, she would have to find out what was really going on. But if he could keep her in the dark, even for just a few more minutes, he would.

Suzaku had agreed to the charade, but he was having a harder time hiding his feelings. Everywhere he looked, there were more bodies. Men, women, children, even tiny babies still clinging to their mothers.

"Keep on walking, Suzaku," Lelouch said. They had to keep walking, keep going through it all, for her.

"But—" Suzaku protested. Surely there was something they could do for these people. Maybe some were still alive! It was possible, right?

"Keep walking," Lelouch repeated sternly. _It's too late. If we stop, we die._

"Where are we? It smells really bad here," Nunnally remarked, her sensitive noise chafing at the scent of blood, sweat, and rotten flesh. The smell of death.

"We're going by a garbage dump," Lelouch lied gently. "Right, Suzaku?"

Suzaku had stopped moving. He knew how important it was to go forward, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. There was so much death, too much death. Too many eyes staring up at him in surprise and horror, unable to close. _Just like his eyes._

Concerned, Lelouch made his way back to his friend. Because it wasn't easy when your entire life fell apart, and Lelouch wasn't going to leave him behind.

"What's wrong, Suzaku?" Nunnally asked.

"I-I," Suzaku tried to force a coherent sentence as tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn't let her hear him cry.

And then he felt a warm hand caress his face. "Nunnally?"

Nunnally smiled sweetly. "My mother taught me that a warm touch is good for tears. Do you think it's true?"

Suzaku nodded weakly. "Y-yeah."

Nunnally slowly withdrew her hand. "We're not passing by a garbage dump, are we?"

"No, of course we are!" Lelouch insisted. "We just—"

"Please don't lie to me, Lelouch," Nunnally pleaded. "You don't have to tell me what's going on, but don't lie. You don't have to tread lightly around my feelings. I'm stronger than you think, and as long as I'm with you and Suzaku, I'm not afraid."

Lelouch nodded. "All right, I won't lie to you, anymore."

"Good."

Suzaku, whose composure had greatly improved, gently poked Lelouch in the side. "Let me hold Nunnally for a while. It's my turn."

* * *

They sat on the side of the road, waiting, just waiting. They had finally made it to the rendezvous point, although the Ashfords had yet to show up. Nunnally had fallen asleep long ago, her face sweet in the dying sunlight. In dreams, there was no war, no Britannia, no bodies on the side of the road.

_No blood soaking into the carpet, almost pink in the fluorescent light—_

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Lelouch asked quietly.

Suzaku flinched slightly, because he couldn't tell him, he _couldn't_. He couldn't stand the thought of Lelouch's face, eyes cold and accusing.

Or he would comfort him, tell Suzaku that it was alright, that it wasn't his fault. Which in a way would be even worse, because it _was _Suzaku's fault, and he didn't deserve such sweet lies.

Lelouch smiled bitterly at Suzaku's tensed shoulders. "I suppose that's my answer right there."

Gently, he placed his hands over his friend's fingers, touch light, just enough to show him that he was there, would always be there, even though he _knew_ he couldn't promise that anymore.

"All right, I won't ask again."

Suzaku stared down at their entwined hands. How many times had he laced Lelouch's small pale fingers with his own? The act had almost become second nature, linking them together and pulling them forward, as if nothing in the world could tear them apart.

But Suzaku's hands were dirty now. They didn't belong beside Lelouch's clean white fingers.

_Murderer,_ his mind whispered. _You're a murderer._

And he kept replaying fights in his head over and over. Training in the dojo and playground squabbles, children and men. It had seemed so simple then. If they moved that way, move this way, if they did this, counter with that. Pay attention, watch for openings, make your strike. He'd never thought of how easy it would be to lose control, to cross that line. Never thought he could be capable of such a thing.

But why was he surprised? After all, hadn't he been training to kill since the day he was born?

Suzaku pulled away, because his hands were dirty with death, and he wouldn't let it spread.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch questioned, almost hurt.

The boy simply shook his head.

Sighing softly, Lelouch tilted his head towards the sky. "You know Suzaku, when I first met you I thought you were a savage, violent bully."

Suzaku flinched at that.

"I was wrong."

Startled at the admission (it wasn't often Lelouch admitted he was wrong, for any reason) Suzaku lifted his head to meet the boy's clear violet gaze.

"I was wrong," Lelouch repeated, smiling gently. "Not about everything. You _are _violent, and a bit of a brute, but you're not a bully. Bullies are cowards, hurting people who can't fight back to feel better about themselves. I've grown up with bullies, lived in a country full of them, so I know what one looks like. You're strong, Suzaku, the strongest person I've ever met. The difference is that you use that strength, that _power_, to protect, and that power will change the world."

Suzaku laughed bitterly. "You still believe that we're capable of changing the world, Lelouch?" If anything, watching his country die had only reinforced Suzaku's feeling of helpless insignificance.

Lelouch nodded. "Absolutely. After all, wasn't it you who said that we could do anything as long as we were together?"

Had he said that? It felt so long ago, and so much had changed. But the words held power, as did the look in Lelouch's eyes, and for the first time in what felt like a very long while, Suzaku felt the faintest flicker of hope.

And then he heard the scratching of tires against gravel as green military trucks appeared on the horizon.

The Ashford family had arrived.

Well, perhaps that wasn't an accurate statement. The Ashford family's _subordinates _had arrived. The family had already fallen too far with the death of Marianne to get tangled up in the mess that was Japan, at least officially. Lelouch had been well aware of that, but the people in dark glasses and suits still uncomfortably reminded him of the man who had tried to kill him a mere few hours ago. He couldn't help but be on his guard when they approached him.

"We have been sent by the Ashford family to retrieve you and your sister," one man (probably the leader) informed him.

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, I understand."

He instructed the newfound bodyguards to wait near the car while he collected Nunnally. The act of lifting her off the ground was a coordinated, practiced motion by now. Unfortunately, it was not one he could perform without Nunnally rousing.

"Lelouch?" Nunnally asked, sleepily. At this point, she had also gotten so used to being carried, she wasn't startled even when it woke her. "Are we there yet?"

"Not quite," Lelouch answered gently. "These men will drive us there."

Lelouch carried her carefully over to the car, with Suzaku steadying his arms when he fumbled at the weight. She fell asleep again before they even set her down.

"Such a wimp," the boy said fondly as Lelouch rubbed his sore arms.

"Yeah, yeah," Lelouch replied noncommittally.

And then he just stood there, shuffling his feet, because he knew that this was it, this was the end. Once he got into that car, he would probably never see Suzaku again.

"Your highness, we need to go," one guard said urgently.

"I know that!" Lelouch snapped. "Just give me a minute! And don't call me your highness! I'm not a prince anymore!"

Suzaku smiled. "You still act like one, though. Just as stuck up and condescending as ever."

Lelouch returned the smile, but it was faintly hollow. "Yeah."

"Are you two really going to be okay?" Suzaku asked, eying the black clad men warily.

Lelouch nodded with a confidence he didn't truly feel. "They were supporters of my mother, and are fairly influential in this country. I worked out this arrangement a long time ago. We should be fine." At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"That's good then," Suzaku acknowledged.

More silence. Seconds ticked by.

"…You could come with us," Lelouch suggested tentatively.

Suzaku shook his head. "I can't, Lelouch. You know I can't."

Yes, Lelouch knew that. It was risky enough for the Ashfords to be harboring two Britannian royals without adding the last son of Japan.

But more than that, Suzaku couldn't leave. This was his home, his battlefield, and he wouldn't run away.

"It's not fair!" Lelouch said vehemently. They had been through so much together, fights and celebrations, tears and laughter, but now they were being forced to part. Lelouch knew he had to be strong, because he was the older brother and that was his job, but he didn't _want _to be strong. He wanted to stamp his foot and scream like the child he had ceased to be since he had heard his first gunshots.

It was the first time since his mother's death that Lelouch felt so small and so helpless. He couldn't do anything about his mother, and now he couldn't even save his best friend. Britannia had swallowed them both.

The face of Lelouch's father flashed across his mind. That _man_. It was his fault! His fault that this was happening! Him and the greedy goliath he reigned over. It had been a long time since Lelouch had thought of him, hate twisting in his gut like a cancerous tumor.

"I swear…"

Suzaku, who had set himself down on a section of rock to rest his legs, looked up curiously. "Huh?"

"I swear, Suzaku, so help me," Lelouch repeated. "I will one day…obliterate Britannia!"

Big words and an impossible goal, but Lelouch's eyes told Suzaku that he meant every word. And if he said he could do it, he would. Suzaku had no doubt of that.

_But…that's wrong, isn't it?_

Wasn't that idea how they had gotten here in the first place? Britannia had started it, but what did that matter what when people were dead now, a once proud country reduced to dust? Now all that was left were the crude funeral pyres built from debris, the smell of cooking flesh making Suzaku's stomach roll when he realized that it smelled vaguely like pork. This was the product of war.

But what right did he have to lecture Lelouch on right and wrong when his father's blood was still on his hands? None at all, so Suzaku didn't say anything.

Later in life, he would look back and wonder if he should have. Wonder if everything would have been different if only he had spoken up.

But the moment had passed, and they couldn't stall any longer. It was time to go.

They would have preferred to part silently, Lelouch leaving and Suzaku simply watching him go, no goodbyes shared because neither wanted to accept that this _was _a goodbye. But just as Lelouch was about to climb into the car that would take him away forever, Nunnally woke up.

"Is it time to go?" she asked sweetly.

Lelouch nodded, and remembering that she couldn't see it, gently murmured, "Yes."

Perhaps Nunnally heard that shaking in his voice, or just sensed the uncertainty that was channeling through his body. Either way, she smiled and took his hand. "We're going to be okay, Lelouch. As long as I'm with you, we'll be okay."

"Yeah," Lelouch whispered. He wouldn't cry right now, he _wouldn't_.

"She's right," Suzaku assured him. "As long as you two stick together, you'll be fine."

Nunnally tilted her head quizzically. "What do you mean, Suzaku? Aren't you coming with us?"

The accompanying silence was an answer in itself.

"B-but we were supposed to go together!" Nunnally protested, tears forming in her closed eyelids.

"I'm sorry, Nunnally," Suzaku said gently.

Nunnally shook her head. "No! We're not leaving you here! We can't! Where will you go?"

"I'll be okay," Suzaku assured her, gently clasping her hand.

"_How_?" Lelouch demanded. He didn't want to make this harder, but he didn't see how anything about this could be "okay".

"I called Tohdoh-sensei. He's going to pick me up."

And yes, Suzaku had called. Called dozens of times, only to hear an automated voice informing him to please leave a short message that he knew would never get to Tohdoh. Not in time. Eventually, he had just given up.

It was the first time he had ever lied to Lelouch. It wouldn't be the last.

"No!" Nunnally sobbed. "We can't lose you too!"

With soft fingers, Suzaku wiped the tears from the little girl's cheeks. "We'll see each other again." His voice was firm with a promise he didn't truly believe he could keep. "Alright?"

Nunnally nodded, lip still quivering.

Leaning into the car seat, Suzaku gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Take good care of her, Lelouch," Suzaku said.

Lelouch scoffed, but it had no bite to it. "Of course." And then he pulled Suzaku into an embrace of his own.

"Remember your promise," Lelouch whispered into his ear. "Don't die, Suzaku. Swear to me that you won't die."

Suzaku pulled away slightly to look into Lelouch's eyes. "Why?" It scared Suzaku how much the prospect of dying didn't frighten him. Perhaps he was always meant to die young, and in a world like this, maybe dying was better. Maybe it was what he deserved.

"Idiot," Lelouch hissed. "Because I want you to _live_. As long as I know you're alive, I know we'll meet again. So you have to live for me. Live and keep your promise to Nunnally."

With Nunnally, it had been easy to give her false hope to stem the tears. But Lelouch's eyes were hard and compelling, staring into his very being, and for a split second, Suzaku was convinced that he knew everything. About Tohdoh, about his father, everything.

Without knowing why, Suzaku nodded. "I will. I'll live. I don't know how, but I will."

He would forget this promise many times in the years ahead, but would still somehow end up keeping it.

Lelouch blinked, and the spell was broken. "Good," he whispered. "Then I won't say goodbye. Just good luck."

"You too," Suzaku answered.

Lelouch laughed, the sound miserable and broken. "I don't need luck. I have a plan."

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "When do you not?"

There were many other things that could have been said that day. Heartfelt sentiments and tears that could have been expressed. But the engine was running, and the men in suits were becoming increasingly impatient. That was okay, though. They weren't needed.

Suzaku watched the car drive off into the distance, Lelouch's face staring out at him through the rear window. He stood there and watched until the car was out of sight.

And then, as the last rays of sunlight sunk into the unknown and died, the boy turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

_The End of the Summer of Joy_

* * *

**Author's Note:** I can't believe this is my last chapter. The project that has occupied me for a year is over with a chapter that has to be twice, if not three times as long as any of the others. It was a good run, and I want to thank all of you that have given me your support. It wouldn't have happened without you. I would also like to extend a thanks to my beta, because she's currently reading over my shoulder and very upset that she has no dedication. You are my rock, sis!

Earlier, Suzaku referred to Tohdoh as uncle. It is very common for small children to refer to older people they don't know as uncle, as well as big brother or sister, or grandma and grandpa, depending on that person's age.

By the way, I've made two references to C.C. in this fic. Can you spot them?

Just a quick shout out to **Aynessa **and **Aki1**. **Aynessa, **I did manage to incorporate that picture you asked me about, and as requested, **Aki1**, Suzaku has beaten up a bunch of grown men with a stick. Do you even remember requesting that?


End file.
